As Darkness Descends
by Caydus
Summary: Sequel to 'Always' and 'Secrets and Lies'. The Delacour family are broken. Enemies both old and new are gathering on all sides. As Hermione struggles to decide what is true and what is false, she will soon learn that sometimes those you trust the most pose the biggest threat. Not everything is what it seems and someone will have to pay the price.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I'm back! Hello again lovely readers. I am sorry for the massive delay but I really lost my mojo. I was going to write more of my other story but I have completely got writer's block with that. I wanted to finish that before starting this, but I have nothing for that story that is good enough and all my ideas were about this instead. Therefore I will have to hit the pause button on that and get this written and finished completely, only then do I think I can finish off that one. So anyway we are back with the sequel to 'Always' and 'Secrets and Lies'. If you are just joining then I would advise going and reading the other two because this will not make any sense otherwise. I really hope you enjoy this next instalment. This one will be deviating a bit more from the plot of the books, because I need it to and because I can! Anyway thank you for your support with the last two and I really hope you enjoy. Disclaimer: All characters (except for some of the Delacours) belong to J.K. Rowling.**

Something had been broken. Hermione wasn't sure whether the current state of affairs would ever be fixed. The Delacours were at odds with one another. The happiness within the residence that Hermione remembered from the previous summer had evaporated to be replaced with a tense, uncomfortable atmosphere. Where once there would have been laughter and conversation at mealtimes, now no one spoke. The younger generation of Delacours were still furious that their family had created a web of secrets and lies and refused to listen to any apology that was offered.

Hermione didn't know what to say or do. Several times she had opened her mouth wanting desperately to say something, anything to relieve the tension that had built up, but she was unable to find the words. She felt so useless. Many times Fleur had found her crying as she thought about Sabine. Where was she? Was she okay? Was she with Aurelie? Not knowing was the worst. Every time a door opened Hermione always hoped it would be Sabine returning with some sarcastic comment, but it was never her.

Fleur didn't know what to do. She was torn between being furious at her mother and the rest of the older generation of her family and supporting Hermione. She knew that her cousin had become a dear friend to the brunette and she hated seeing her lover like this. Even though she had not always got on with Sabine she found herself wishing for her cousin to return.

XXXXX

A week had passed since Sabine had left and Hermione could tell that things were fast reaching their breaking point. She knew that Fleur had refrained from making any comment to her family, the same as her cousins. None of them seemed to want to acknowledge their family let alone speak to them and the brunette knew this would only last so long before emotion took precedent.

Hermione felt nervous as she sat down to dinner that evening. She shared an anxious look with Gabrielle, both aware that things could have reached their boiling point. The only sound was the clattering of knives and forks. Hermione noticed that Fleur was merely playing with her food and as she glanced around the table she noticed the younger generation all had their eyes on the blonde. With a sudden movement Fleur threw her fork down with a clang.

"You had no right to keep things from us," she growled, glaring daggers at her grandmother and mother. Hermione could feel the anger coming off of Fleur in waves.

Julienne said nothing for a moment, before neatly placing her knife and fork down on her plate. "We did what we thought was best..."

"Best for who?" interrupted Astrid. "Sabine had a right to know who she was, who her mother was."

"You wouldn't understand..." Apolline tried to say, but she was also interrupted.

"Oh don't start with that," snarled Fleur. "It's a poor defence. Sabine is twenty. Twenty! She always said that you all treated her differently and I guess we know why now."

"Now Fleur that is no way to talk to your mother..."Armand tried to diffuse the situation, but everyone was too fired up after days of not saying anything.

"Don't try and defend her. Don't defend any of them," growled Fleur. "There is no excuse for what they did. Fair enough keep Aurelie away, but lying was the wrong thing to do. You all made her feel inadequate, like an outsider and now look. She's left because of how you've treated her."

"You can hardly claim to be innocent there Fleur," shouted back Apolline, standing up. "You also butted heads with Sabine all the time, ever since you were little. You never made an effort with her; it was only because of Hermione that you even were civil to her."

"At least I never lied to her," Fleur shouted, also getting to her feet. Her chair went flying backwards and hit the floor with a crash. "I would give anything, anything to have her back her with us, to try and rectify everything, but thanks to all of you that will never happen. You want someone to blame for all this, don't bother pointing the finger of blame at Aurelie, go find a bloody mirror."

"As if you know the first thing about protecting a family," Apolline shouted. "We did what we thought was right..."

"Well you were wrong." Fleur stormed up to her mother, standing toe to toe.

"Enough!"

All heads turned to face Hermione. The brunette wasn't even aware that she had spoken, but quickly gained her composure as everyone stared.

"This is getting us absolutely no where." When Fleur made to speak, Hermione silenced her with a look. "Shouting and screaming solves nothing, it's just going to make everyone angry. There's no point trying to blame someone, it won't achieve anything and Sabine will still be gone."

Hermione took a deep breath, before continuing.

"Whether you were right or wrong to keep Sabine's parentage from her is, frankly, irrelevant. It's happened and there is nothing anyone can do about it. The mistake you made, you all made was making Sabine feel different, as if she was an outsider. Do you know that she believes none of you are proud of her? She told me once that all she wanted was to make you proud and yet she never knew if she had. Keeping secrets and lying didn't do the damage, your behaviour towards her did. Whilst you are arguing about who's the most responsible all I can think about is how Sabine is feeling at this moment in time and whether she's okay. I'm sick and tired of the tension there is between you all. How about instead of switching between not speaking and arguing you let it go and we try and figure out a way to fix this?"

Without another word, Hermione got up and left the dining room. She was shaking badly. Had she spoken out of turn? It wasn't her place to say anything, that she knew, but somebody had to. She knew that Veela were emotional beings and an argument was always going to happen, but it wasn't going to solve anything. She felt her Veela offer her comfort and sighed. It was a lot easier now she didn't have to fight with it constantly. A few months back she would have torn the dining room apart. She found herself in the library and immediately settled herself in her favourite armchair by the window.

Hermione wasn't sure how much time had passed, but was startled from her thoughts by the sound of someone clearing their throat. She looked up to see Armand standing there with a kind smile and that twinkle in his eye.

"I left them to it," he said. "They took what you said onboard and are attempting to sort things out."

Hermione bit her lip and felt a guilty squirm in her stomach. Armand must have noticed because he came and sat down next to her shaking his head.

"You have no need to feel guilty Hermione. It needed saying and they needed to hear. I wish now that I had had the stomach to do it myself, but as the sole male member of this family I become accustomed to letting them get on with it." He chuckled to himself and Hermione couldn't help but smile.

Armand always had a way of alleviating any tension or unhappiness. He was a kind man and despite being human and male he was the heart of the family.

"I hope I didn't overstep the mark?" Hermione squirmed in her seat.

"Of course not," Armand said reassuringly. "You are family Hermione that gives you the right to give your opinion. You have a remarkable way of saying what needs to be said without causing hurt or anger to anyone. No one was angry at you, rather they felt guilty that they had behaved in such a way. Now what are your thoughts on Elemental Transfiguration?"

Hermione laughed.

XXXXX

The following morning Hermione woke with a groan. Looking around she realised she had fallen asleep in the chair in a rather awkward position and her muscles were letting her know about it. She had talked with Armand for hours and was thankful for the distraction. Without him, she would have been on edge for the whole evening wondering how the conversation in the dining room was going. Instead they had talked for hours about various topics and Hermione was thrilled that she had someone who was as enthusiastic as she was. Her relationship with Fleur was wonderful, but the blonde couldn't spend hours talking about Magical Law. In Armand she had found an unlikely friend, someone to share ideas with, whilst also being introduced to different points of view. He had excused himself around 11 to go and make sure Gabrielle was in bed and the brunette must have fallen asleep shortly after.

She awkwardly untangled herself from the position she had been sleeping in and stretched, groaning as her muscles reminded her what a comfort a bed was. Rubbing her neck to try and ease the stiffness there, she stood up and went in search of Fleur. The blonde was absent from their bedroom and Hermione began to feel anxious when she saw the bed hadn't been slept in. She hurriedly went back downstairs to the dining room and found everyone, minus Armand and Gabrielle, still sat where they had been the previous evening.

They all looked exhausted and there were several faces that were tear-stained. Hermione couldn't fail to notice some smashed plates littering the floor by the walls. At least no one was bleeding. Fleur got up when she noticed her girlfriend had entered the room and quickly swept her up in a hug.

"Are you alright ma belle?" asked Fleur.

Hermione nodded. "I'm fine. Are you all alright?" She couldn't help but glance around again at the smashed china.

Fleur followed her gaze. "Ah yes. Well we are now at least." She looked around at the family. "It took a while, but we have sorted some things out. Now we just have to figure out how to get Sabine back."

"That may prove difficult," said Apolline, standing up slowly. "Aurelie was possessive when she was a child, I dread to think what she will be like with Sabine, especially as we are the ones who kept them apart."

"We aren't even sure where Aurelie is," chipped in Astoria.

"And none of us are going to mention anything to Dumbledore either," said Fleur, sharing a pointed look with her grandmother. Her mother and aunts nodded in agreement. "From now on we are keeping him at a distance."

Hermione nodded in understanding. "What about the escape route?"

"We will maintain that still, but refuse to do anything else for him," replied Julienne. "Armand is going to use his contacts in the French Ministry to ensure that Dumbledore can not a grip here again, just to be safe." Julienne looked around the room and continued. "We are also going to look into what Aurelie told you and Sabine about Dumbledore to see if there is any truth in the matter."

"We have to be careful with how we approach this." said Astoria. "If there is any truth to what Aurelie told you then we have to ensure that Dumbledore doesn't find out we now. We can't have him as an enemy right now, we have enough to be getting on with." All the Veela scowled and nodded.

"Thank you Hermione," said Julienne. "You told us what we needed to hear and we thank you for that. We are sorry that you needed to say it at all."

"I'm sorry if I upset anyone..." Hermione began.

"Nonsense," said Apolline. "You had every right to say what you said."

"Apolline is right," agreed Julienne. "You are a Veela now and part of the family."

Hermione smiled and cuddled closer to Fleur. "Come on you must be exhausted, let's get you to bed."

All of Fleur's cousins shared looks and wolf-whistled. Hermione mock glared at them and tugged the blonde out of the room. Fleur collapsed on the bed and immediately fell asleep. Hermione smiled and slowly began to carefully undress the blonde. Amazingly Fleur didn't wake up once, merely snuggled into the pillows. Hermione wasn't tired, but the thought of cuddling up to her girlfriend was too irresistible. She slipped under the covers and spooned the blonde, soon drifting off to sleep herself.

XXXXX

Whilst things with Aurelie had had a line drawn under them, Hermione was sure that nothing had actually truly been resolved and that the family had merely hit the pause button until a later date. Armand had gone to the French Ministry the following day and begun to put out questions about Dumbledore. The rest of the family began to look into anything to do with Aurelie and trying to figure out where she might be. Considering that she had sided with Voldemort she was probably in Britain.

Unlike last summer, there was not the carefree atmosphere and sense of fun. It felt like something was waiting for the storm to break and when it did hell would break loose. There weren't as many trips to the beach. The focus was on finding Sabine and bringing her home. Fleur and Julienne were going all around Europe on Coven business, ensuring that everything was running normally, whilst the rest of the family focused on Sabine. Despite this the couple still saw a lot of one another. The blonde felt guilty and this was clear in the many romantic meals she planned for them. Hermione told her there was no need but Fleur insisted.

One morning Fleur and Julienne had gone to Spain for a meeting with the branch of the Coven there. Hermione was planning on spending the day catching up in on homework in the library. She was just heading there when Armand came and found her.

"Hermione, I was wondering if you would like to accompany me to the Ministry today?" asked Armand.

The brunette was shocked. "B...but..is that allowed?" she stammered.

Armand laughed. "Absolutely. Didn't Professor McGonagall tell you about the job offers you've received?"

"Well...yes, but..."

"Trust me Hermione, there are plenty of people there who want to meet you." Armand smiled at the look of astonishment on her face. He had become quite close with the young brunette and found her to be an incredibly strong and interesting individual. She was already a daughter in his eyes and wanted to see her happy.

It was with a certain amount of nervousness that Hermione accompanied Armand to the Ministry. It was in the middle of Paris and Hermione gasped as she stepped through the hidden entrance into a wide open space filled with light. Where the British Ministry was dark and closed in, the French Ministry was open and light. Paper memos flew around everywhere and the place was alive with movement. Armand nudged Hermione and she quickly followed him as he headed towards some lifts that were in the corner. Rushing inside she wondered where they were heading off to. The lift shot upwards, making Hermione's head hurt and she felt dizzy when it came to a sudden stop and the doors opened again. Armand stepped out and she followed as they walked down a corridor lined with portraits. They stopped outside a grand door, which Armand knocked on. It opened and they stepped inside.

They were in a massive conference room with floor to ceiling windows showing a marvellous view of Paris. This sight distracted Hermione momentarily from paying attention to who was in the room, but a voice calling out drew her attention to the dozen or so people littered around the table.

"Ah Armand, you're here and you've brought Mademoiselle Granger, perfect."

Armand gestured for Hermione to take a chair and he sat down next to her. She fidgeted in her seat nervously as everyone watched her. She didn't have a clue what was going on, but Armand was smiling at her so she knew it was nothing bad.

"We are so glad you could come Mademoiselle Granger," said a grey-haired witch seated on the right. She spoke with a thick French accent and looked to be about sixty. Her attire told Hermione that she was a woman of importance.

"Err...thank you...Why am I here exactly?" stammered Hermione.

The woman smiled at her. "We are various heads of departments here at the Ministry who are interested in offering you a job Mademoiselle...once you have finished your schooling of course."

Hermione's mouth dropped open. "A...a job, but...wait...what?"

A few of the seated members chuckled.

"You said she was modest Armand," guffawed a heavily built man with a thick moustache.

"Indeed she is, but you will not find a more intelligent witch I can promise you that," laughed Armand.

It turned out that there were representatives from nearly every department in the French Ministry and by the end of the hour long meeting Hermione had had job offers from every single one. She would have her pick of anything she wanted, from Magical Law to the Department of Magical Creatures to the Auror department and even in Education. She felt dizzy and overwhelmed by it all. Armand only allowed the meeting to last for an hour. He could see that the young brunette was slightly overcome by everything and he wanted to protect her. She allowed herself to be led out of the building and he took her to a nearby cafe which was his favourite.

Hermione only spoke after he had brought two cappuccinos and she had taken a sip.

"Why do they all want me?" she asked.

Armand chuckled again. "You are unaware of your own brilliance Hermione. News of your talents have made their way over here. There are many other places besides the Ministry who are clamouring to have the Golden Girl as an employee."

Hermione seemed to struggle with this. "But...why? I'm just a muggle-born."

Armand suddenly grew very serious. He set down his cup and grasped both the brunette's hands in his own. "Your blood means nothing. Don't let what they stupid chienne Umbridge said to you affect you. She is part of an old world that has no place now. You are an amazing witch Hermione. You are kind, caring, you always try to see the best in others, you're intelligent yet not arrogant. Any business or government department would be lucky to have you on their staff. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. You are capable of anything you set your mind to, I know it. You can be a cause of real change in the Wizarding World and right now I say that is exactly what we all need."

Hermione felt tears welling up in her eyes. She didn't know what to say so settled for nodding. Armand gave her hands a gentle squeeze and picked up his cup again. "My daughter certainly knows how to pick them."

He winked and Hermione smiled. Armand truly was a remarkable man.

When they returned to the house, Gabrielle came bounding down the stairs and threw herself into her father's arms. He laughed and swung her around, before she dragged him off to go play a game outside. He waved his hand to Hermione, who smiled and watched them go. She went in search of Valentine and Astrid. Fleur wouldn't have returned yet from her trip she was sure.

She was wrong.

Upon entering the living room she found the family all seated around the room with the same worried looks on their faces. Hermione came to abrupt halt when she saw their faces and felt the smile on her face slide away.

"Is everything okay? Is it Sabine?" she asked, hoping the dark-haired Veela was okay.

Fleur shared a look with her mother and stood up. "There is no news on Sabine, but we did receive some very alarming news."

"Come and sit down Hermione, you should hear this," said Julienne. "If recent events have taught us anything it's that keeping secrets achieves nothing. You are a member of this family and therefore you need to know what is going on."

Hermione nodded and sat down next to Fleur immediately reaching for the blonde's hand. Fleur smiled weakly.

Julienne sighed and brandished a letter. "We have received word from a branch of our Coven in Bulgaria. They have informed us and the rest of the Coven that they no longer see us as being fit for leadership."

Hermione gasped and stared open-mouthed at everyone. They all wore the same dark look. "But on what grounds? How can they say that? You've always all done your best for the Coven."

"They have somehow found out about Aurelie." said Julienne, sadly.

"What?! How?" blurted out Hermione.

"We don't know," replied Julienne. "The only ones who knew are in this house and of course Aurelie and Voldemort's supporters."

"Aurelie wouldn't have told this branch of the Coven," said Apolline. When Hermione didn't look convinced she continued. "This is part of an ancient grudge which that part of the Coven has had for a long time. Aurelie would never tell them even if she did hate us. The animosity between us and the Bulgarian section has been going on for as long as anyone can remember."

"They've never done anything like this before though," explained Astoria. "They just hated us from afar and never did anything about it."

Julienne nodded. "Now though they have ammunition. They must have been waiting for something like this to happen to try and get one over on us."

"What do they want?" asked Hermione, afraid to hear the answer. She knew it wasn't good from how tightly Fleur was gripping her hand.

"They have informed the Coven that Aurelie is alive and Sabine is her daughter. They have written to every branch of the family outlining exactly what happened and what we did. How they know, as I said, is still unclear. They have told us that either we give up control of the Coven, or there will be consequences."

"What happens now?" asked Hermione.

"Well giving up control at this time isn't an option," explained Apolline. "Things are precarious to say the least what with Voldemort's return. We will write to the Coven informing them that we will not be relinquishing control and we will just have to see what happens next. The rest of the Coven will not want to see a change at the moment, but things may not stay that way."

"Indeed, if I know them the Bulgarian branch will be having secret meetings all over the place trying to usurp us," said Julienne, grimly. "This won't be the last we hear from them, make no mistake, this is just beginning. I can't help but feel this is no accident. The timing of this is just too much of a coincidence."

"I can't help but agree mama," said Apolline. "With Voldemort and Aurelie's return and now this, it's too much of a coincidence."

"Stupid bitch," snarled Victorie.

"As much as I disapprove of your language, I can't help but agree," replied Julienne.

"Wait, who's a bitch?" asked Hermione. "I thought it was part of the Coven?"

Julienne sighed again. "It is, but they have a leader unlike the other branches, part of that ancient grudge I spoke about. Her name's Guinevere."

"Guinevere?" gasped the brunette, turning to look at Fleur. "Wasn't that the woman you were having meetings about a few months back."

Fleur looked grim. "The very same. She's been causing a few issues here and there but nothing too problematic."

"Until now," interjected Valentine.

"That is the most confusing part in all this," said Apolline. "She has never been brave enough to do something before. So why does she now?"

Julienne said nothing for a moment, she simply stared into the fire that was burning in the hearth. "I sense that someone is being a guiding hand for her. The sooner we find out who the better."

XXXXX

A sudden crack of apparation split the silence. A tall figure in a cloak paused as if to take in their bearings, before heading off swiftly down the narrow path. The August sunshine was twinkling through the trees as the shadowy figure made their way through tall wrought, iron gates bearing the Delacour family crest. The stranger moved quickly, barely making any sound. As the driveway turned around a corner a grand castle came into view. Without pausing the figure marched up the steps and opened the front doors.

A vast stone hallway greeted them, but there was no time to take in the decor. Moving through the castle with a speed which showed their familiarity with the place, they ascended the floors until the figure reached a set of double doors. A hand came out from under the cloak and swiftly knocked on the doors. The sound echoed around the corridor and down into the depths of the castle. A curt voice from inside the room called for entry and the figure stepped inside.

The room was elegantly decorated with rugs and fine art. A woman dressed in expensive clothes was staring out of the window. She didn't turn when the figure entered. There was someone else sat in an armchair, but the newcomer couldn't see who it was. The cloaked figure's attention was brought back to the woman, who now turned and gestured for the messenger to speak.

"I bring news, my lady. The Delacours have refused to back down and have informed the rest of the Coven that they will not acquiesce to your demands."

A vase came flying at the shadowy figure, who quickly ducked.

"Leave us," demanded the woman, her eyes shining purple in her anger. She was breathing heavily and her face had contorted into one of pure fury. She let out an unearthly scream and blasted a hole through the door that the messenger had just gone through.

"Now really Guinevere," said the other occupant of the room. "Is that really any way for a Veela to behave?"

"They haven't backed down," she screeched. "Those arrogant hypocrites. They bang on and on about the importance of family and yet they have plenty of skeletons in their closet. I thought when you told me about Aurelie that they would finally see how imperfect they are. The rest of the Coven still won't support me. You told me this would work."

Another spell was fired off and set a nearby table on fire.

"It was never going to ruin them completely, my dear Guinevere. All it was going to do was rock the boat and that is exactly what we needed to do. Now we put the next part of our plan into motion."

"You better be right, Dumbledore."

The old man's eyes twinkled. "I always am."

 **A/N:** **Dun dun duunnnnn. Just thought I would include this at the end to apologise to anyone that hates Dumbledore being presented in this way. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I'm not going to give a timeframe on updates because let's face it, with my track record it never works. I have got some ideas flowing so hopefully it won't be too long. Adios for now.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hello again gang. Firstly I just want to say a massive thank you to you all for your support. Most of you seem to love it so far and I hope that continues. So thank you for all the reviews/follows/favourites and the PMS. Some people may have not liked the whole Dumbledore twist, but I'm afraid it was always going to be like this. I wanted it to be this way because it's a lesson that Hermione needs to learn (at least in my story) This is not following the storyline of the books completely and just takes elements from them, so characters won't be completely the same. Now this is mostly just filler, but does set up for the next chapter. Sorry if you think there is a lot of jumping around but I didn't want to bore you with too many filler chapters. As always I hope you enjoy this chapter and I will be back with the next one as soon as I can. I will get around to replying to reviews soon, I will just take a quick break from typing and get to it. Disclaimer: All characters belong to J.K. Rowling**

The news that a section of the Coven was challenging the Delacour rule was unsettling to everyone in the house. For a few days afterwards the entire family was out of the house travelling around Europe to strengthen their position. Hermione knew it was a big deal because the rest of the family usually never got involved in the Coven, it was normally just Julienne and Fleur and occasionally Apolline and her sisters. Fleur's cousins had never been involved before.

Fleur was apologetic over her absences, but Hermione didn't mind. She understood her girlfriend's role and importance in the Coven so didn't mind her ensuring that no one paid attention to Guinevere's threats. The brunette wished she could do more to help the family, but she didn't know where to start. She spent a lot of her spare time with Armand. They had formed a closer bond this summer and Hermione found she felt safe when around him, a similar feeling to the one she had when she was around Fleur or Sabine. Her heart still ached at the thought of Sabine. She had tried sending owls to her, but every letter was brought back without success. It seemed that the dark-haired Veela had made herself untraceable.

Two weeks into the summer holidays, Hermione came down to breakfast to see the whole family seated, waiting expectantly for her. After Guinevere's letter the whole family hadn't been in attendance at breakfast so seeing them all seated and also clearly waiting for her made the brunette feel slightly uneasy.

"Come sit down ma belle," said Fleur, standing up and pulling back a chair.

Hermione moved stiffly over to the chair. "What's going on?"

Fleur just smiled and sat down next to the brunette. "Here." The blonde passed a letter over, which Hermione took.

She just stared at it, her mouth running dry as she realised what it was. "My...my OWL results," she stammered.

"Well go on, open them," said Valentine.

"Yeah go on, Hermione, open them," sounded the rest of the family in unison.

With shaking hands, the brunette turned the envelope over and tried to open it. Her fingers were trembling making this a difficult task. She eventually managed it, but found herself unable to take out the enclosed parchment. Fleur, noticing her girlfriend's hesitation and reluctance, took the envelope from her, took out the parchment and opened it. Hermione was wringing her hands nervously as she waited for the blonde to say something.

"I've failed everything haven't I?"

Fleur rolled her eyes. "Of course you didn't. You passed everything with flying colours."

"What?" shouted Hermione, snatching the paper out of the blonde's hands. "Ten Outstandings and one Exceeds Expectations," she read out with a sigh of relief.

There were shouts of congratulations and Fleur hugged the brunette tightly. Apolline got up and swept Hermione up in a hug too.

"Well done, Hermione, many congratulations," said Armand, giving her a brief kiss on the cheek.

"Well I think this is a cause for celebration," exclaimed Julienne. There was a chorus of agreement and everyone started planning the celebration with gusto.

The rest of the day was spent planning a party. Hermione sent an owl to Harry and Ron asking how they did and asking for any updates. She felt slightly guilty as she sent the letter Harry, knowing what she had said in their last conversation. She hoped he didn't hate her for what she had said, but at the same time she didn't regret it.

Around lunchtime she had been ordered upstairs by the family as they carried on preparing for the celebrations. She had tried telling them not to go to too much trouble, but this had fallen on deaf ears. It seemed that the family were glad that they had something happy to focus on after everything that had happened so far this summer.

It was late in the afternoon when Fleur finally came up to their bedroom. "Hey ma belle, I have a present for you."From behind her back, the blonde brought out a beautiful red dress complete with a set of heels. "It's your congratulations present."

"Wow Fleur, that dress is beautiful," gasped Hermione. She kissed the blonde, once more counting her blessings that she had Fleur in her life. "You didn't have to get me anything though."

"I know," replied Fleur, laying the dress down gently on the bed. "However, you need something to wear for tonight."

"For tonight? Fleur I hope you and the family haven't gone to too much trouble," said Hermione.

"It's a surprise ma belle, just get changed and meet me in the hall," murmured Fleur. She winked and quickly left the room.

Hermione couldn't help but smile and feel her heart flutter. She quickly got changed, sorted out her hair and slipped into the heels Fleur had also bought for her. She made her way downstairs to find the whole family assembled in the hall. Fleur was stood at the front wearing a new dress of her own, which highlighted her eyes perfectly. She noticed that the rest of the family weren't dressed up at all.

"What's happening?" asked Hermione as she reached the bottom of the stairs.

"We are going out ma belle," explained Fleur, gesturing at the both of them. "My family are going to stay here and we will join them after dinner. Now let's go, we have reservations."

Hermione allowed herself to be led out of the door by Fleur as the rest of the Delacour family waved them off. The blonde took them to beyond the gates at the front and then apparated them away. The sound of traffic met them when they landed and when she opened her eyes she found they were in the centre of Paris. The Eiffel Tower was just in front of them, its lights twinkling brightly. Smiling at the look of awe on her girlfriend's face, Fleur began to lead them through the streets, which were slowly getting busy as Parisians and tourists began to come out to enjoy the night life.

Fleur led them over to what looked like an old, abandoned wine shop. They walked down the side until they came to a few barrels that had been piled up. Fleur stepped up to them and tapped the third one. All of a sudden it expanded and soon became wide enough for the couple to walk through easily. They were met by a spiral staircase and at the top a beautiful courtyard rose garden. The waiter came and seated them at a table near the fountain.

"Fleur this is amazing," whispered Hermione.

The blonde smiled. "Well I thought you deserved something special for your amazing results. Besides I know I haven't been the best girlfriend lately." She looked guilty, but Hermione shook her head.

"Fleur you've been amazing. Honestly, there's no need to feel bad about Coven business. It's important now more than ever, especially considering you're the heir. I understand I really do. This more than makes up for it."

"You're amazing, you know that right," laughed Fleur.

Before Hermione could respond the waiter came over to take their order. Realising they hadn't even looked at the menu they quickly glanced over it and ordered.

"And we'll have two glasses of champagne as well please," said Fleur. The waiter raised his eyebrows and looked at Hermione. "I'm sure one won't hurt." When he didn't look reassured, the blonde stood up and whispered in his ear. What she said must have worked because his eyes widened and he immediately began to splutter, struggling to get a sentence out.

"R...right...yes...right...right away Mademoiselle Delacour," stammered the waiter.

Hermione raised her eyebrows at Fleur as she sat down again. "You didn't just use your family name to break the law did you?"

Fleur just grinned. The waiter came back with two glasses of champagne, complete with a bow. Fleur and Hermione struggled not to laugh, but the minute he walked away they collapsed in a fit of giggles.

"To you, ma belle and your outstanding results, not that I doubted you for a second," said Fleur, raising her glass in a toast.

Hermione raised her too. "To us."

The meal was spent with the couple staring lovingly into each other's eyes and feeding each other bits of their food like all the other couples that Hermione usually frowned at. The brunette tried to protest at the end of the meal when Fleur took the bill to pay, but the blonde wouldn't listen.

"No ma belle this is your celebratory dinner, there is no way I am going to let you pay for it."

Hermione mocked glared at her girlfriend. They left the restaurant to head back to the house where, the brunette had been told, the rest of the family had their own celebration planned. They strolled through the streets hand in hand, simply enjoying each other's company. Eventually they reached a safe apparation point and arrived back at the Delacour estate. Hermione and Fleur made their way up the drive hand in hand, the gravel crunching underneath their feet. The brunette was about to head up the steps to the front door when she was tugged behind a nearby hedge and Fleur swept her up in a toe curling kiss. Hermione couldn't stop the moan escaping from her lips. They pulled back panting at the passion of the kiss.

"I needed to do that before we headed back inside," said Fleur, breathing heavily.

They reluctantly parted and climbed up the steps to the front doors, walking as closely as possible and were immediately greeted by the rest of the family. They were all holding glasses of champagne. Armand came forward and offered a glass to both girls. Hermione reluctantly accepted, but she figured it was only a few weeks until her 17th birthday.

"Hermione many congratulations on your fantastic exam results," said Julienne. "They just confirm what everyone knows about you. I know you have heard this so many times already, but you really are the brightest witch of you age. You are one of the family now and we couldn't be more proud of you. Every day I give thanks for your being with Fleur and the happiness that you bring to all of us. To Hermione."

"To Hermione" called out everyone, raising their glasses. The brunette blushed and thanked everyone.

Before she could say anymore the family crowded round and as one they went into the drawing room for the next part of the night's celebration.

XXXXX

The following morning Hermione woke to an owl fluttering around the room. It took her a few moments to realise it was Hedwig. Untangling herself from Fleur's embrace, the brunette crossed the room and managed to get the snowy owl to stay still in order to relieve her of the scroll attached to her leg. Hermione crossed back over to the bed and sat down to read the letter.

 _Dear Hermione_

 _Congratulations on your results, you've done amazing (not that I expected anything less). Ron and I passed everything except for History of Magic and Divination, but let's face it, who is actually going to need either of those? I've had enough of predicting the future to last me a lifetime._

 _I'm actually at the Burrow at the moment. Dumbledore came and picked me up from the Dursleys and we stopped off to recruit a new teacher on the way to the Weasley's. Apparently it was the only way that this Professor Slughorn would agree to come back. He knew my mum, or so he said._

 _We are planning on going to Diagon Alley the weekend after our booklists arrive if you can make it. Do you reckon you will be able to make it? It would be so good if you can make it. We're all going to the twins' new shop in Diagon Alley. They're doing really well according to Mrs Weasley._

 _Anyway, we hope to see you in Diagon Alley, if not we'll see you on the train (Ginny says hello by the way). Summer holidays without you isn't the same but I hope you are having a good time with Fleur and her family._

 _Love Harry_

Hermione smiled as she read the letter. She was pleased that Harry was speaking to her, especially considering their last conversation and found it curious that Dumbledore had recruited Harry to hire a new professor. Ordinarily she wouldn't have thought twice about this, but ever since Aurelie and everything that had come out the brunette found herself suspicious of the Headmaster for no reason at all. She was struggling to see him as anything but the kind man with a twinkle in his eye. Sighing to herself she folded up the letter and placed it on the bedside table, before wrapping an arm around Fleur and deciding to enjoy her lie-in.

XXXXX

Three weeks later Hermione used a portkey to get over to Diagon Alley. Fleur had been unable to come along owing to the waves that Guinevere was still causing. The entire family was determined to have someone go along with the brunette, deeming it unsafe for her to go on her own. Fleur had explained that it was simply too dangerous considering Voldemort, Aurelie, Guinevere and Hermione's new position as part of the Coven. Hermione had tried to protest, but to no avail. To her surprise Armand had volunteered himself to go, so they now found themselves stepping through the Leaky Cauldron and through to Diagon Alley.

Hermione was shocked when the magical street was revealed. The once noisy street was practically deserted. Gone were the bustling crowds of witches and wizards rushing about. Even the colour seemed to have drained from the place. Shops which once had vibrant displays had now been shut down and boarded up. Posters of wanted Death Eaters had been plastered over them and Hermione found it unsettling as the eyes of Bellatrix Lestrange and others followed her as she made her way down the street. Stalls had popped up along the cobbles with the sellers trying to get the attention of anyone that passed. They claimed to sell any manner of trinkets to protect people from the Dark Arts, but the brunette doubted that any of them would actually work. The fact that there were people who were willing to take advantage of people's fear both saddened and angered her. She was suddenly very thankful that she had Armand with her. One stern look from him and the street sellers kept well away. He may be a kind, caring soul, but he was fiercely protective of his family when it was needed.

He nearly walked into Hermione when she came to an abrupt stop. She was staring open-mouthed at what had been Ollivander's wand shop. It was blackened and empty. Glass littered the floor where the windows had been blown out. She felt tears pricking at her eyes as she saw the shell that had been left. She felt sick as she wondered where he was and then felt her blood run cold as she realised he may not even be alive. Her gaze passed from the broken shop to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, which had also been shut down. Memories came flooding back to her from when she had enjoyed many an ice cream. Seeing Diagon Alley as it was made Hermione realise now more than ever that things really had changed and she wasn't sure whether they would ever be able to go back to how things had been. Deciding that it was best to keep moving, Armand and Hermione swiftly moved up the street to Gringotts.

"Where are you meeting your friends," Armand asked. His eyes were darting around taking in everything and it was clear that he was on edge.

"At the Weasley twins' shop," replied Hermione. "We have some time to spare, so we quickly grab the things I need and then we can head there."

Armand nodded, but was looking elsewhere. Hermione couldn't help but share his uneasy feeling. They made their way around Diagon Alley, popping into Flourish and Blotts to grab new books and then to the Apothecary for some potions ingredients. Checking her watch she saw it was time to meet Harry and Ron, so headed off in search of Weasley Wizard Wheezes. Armand was walking nearer than before as if the longer they stayed the more danger there was. A sudden shout startled her and she looked up to see Harry sprinting towards with Ron not far behind.

"Harry, Ron, it's good to see you," greeted Hermione.

"Hey Mione," said Ron.

The brunette could tell something was up by the way Ron kept looking at Harry and the frantic look in their friend's eye.

"You will never believe what we have just seen in Madam Malkin's?!" shouted Harry in a frenzied excitement.

Ron, looking exasperated, interjected before anyone could say anything. "We saw Malfoy and his mother."

"Yes and Malfoy flipped out when Madam Malkin went to touch his left arm," said Harry hurriedly. "You know what that means, right?"

Hermione shared a look with Ron, who just shook his head.

"That he's hurt his arm?" suggested the brunette.

"He's a Death Eater," exclaimed Harry.

"What?" scoffed Hermione.

"Think about Mione, his dad got captured at the Ministry. Voldemort must have got Malfoy to replace his dad," explained Harry, he had that determined, manic look in his eye. This wasn't going to be something that he let go of easily.

"Harry..." began Hermione, looking to Ron and then back to Harry. "That is just...so unlikely."

"But why?" Harry retorted. "It makes perfect sense. Voldemort needs a replacement and Malfoy is there."

"He's too young, he's still at school," argued Hermione.

Ron was nodding his head in agreement behind Harry. Clearly he had already heard this argument and had no desire to get involved again.

"I'm telling you Mione, Malfoy is a Death Eater now," said Harry. "I just know it."

The brunette sighed. It seemed that her conversation with Harry at the end of the year after the Ministry fiasco had had little effect.

"Harry, I'm sorry I just don't believe it," sighed Hermione.

Before he could say anything Mrs Weasley appeared. "There you are. Don't disappear like that, you had me worried sick," she shouted. Seeing the Hermione her tone changed. "Oh Hermione dear, you're here. Come in, come in, see what Fred and George have done, it's splendid."

Without waiting for a reply, the Weasley matriarch grabbed the brunette by the hand and led her up the cobbled street towards one of the most eye-popping shop fronts she had ever seen. It was as if there had been a colour explosion in the middle of the Alley. The entire front was purple, with numerous posters plastered across the windows and a robotic Weasley was above the door doing a magic trick. Passers-by had either stopped in the street, staring open-mouthed, or were doing double-takes, nearly walking into other shoppers. The noise coming from inside the shop contrasted with the mood outside.

Upon stepping over the threshold Hermione was confronted with the laughter and excited chattering of enthusiastic shoppers. She could barely make it to the shelves owing to the large crowd inside. As her head turned around, taking everything in, Hermione saw the Skiving Snackboxes, which the twins had invented the year before, as well as barrels of trick wands, boxes of joke quills, a table with various coloured bottles and a sign saying 'Patented Daydream Charms' and a cage which held an awful lot of fluffy pom-poms. Upon closer inspection they appeared to be vibrating and making squeaking noises.

"This is...impressive," said Hermione, staring round open-mouthed.

"For that Hermione, you can have one of our Daydream Charms free," said a voice from behind her.

Turning round she saw Fred Weasley wearing a set of magenta robes, which clashed magnificently with his flaming red hair.

"Why thank you," replied the brunette. "It certainly is quite something." She found it hard to believe that all the pranks and tricks they had produced over the years had created such a successful business enterprise.

"Come on Mione," said Fred, "I'll give you the grand tour."

He led Hermione through the shop to a stand which teenage girls were crowding around.

"Here are our special WonderWitch products: best range of love potions money can buy, our ten-second pimple vanisher..."

"What are those things?" asked Hermione, pointing at the cage of fluffy Quidditch balls.

"Ah these are Pygmy Puffs," explained Fred. "They're miniature Puffskeins."

"They're cute," replied the brunette, poking her finger through the cage.

"Hey Mione."

Turning, yet again, Hermione saw Ginny coming towards her with a purple Pygmy Puff balanced on her shoulder.

"Hi Ginny," said Hermione in greeting. "How has your summer been?"

"Good thanks. How's yours been? How is Fleur?" asked Ginny, stroking her newest pet.

"It's been good, really good," replied Hermione. She felt a slight twinge of guilt at the little lie she had just told. "Fleur is doing well too. It's been so nice being able to spend so much time together. It's going to make me really reluctant to go back to school I can tell you."

"Come on, you should come look at these Decoy Detonators. It's a shame Umbridge won't be at school for us to use them on her," laughed Ginny.

Hermione spent some time wandering around the shop. She bumped into Armand who was laughing at a wooden Hangman game. She smiled as he giggled like a little boy. She gazed around the shop and couldn't but feel as though maybe things weren't as bad as she had previously thought. A hooded figure outside the shop caught her attention. They were staring in intently, but Hermione couldn't make out their face. She suddenly noticed dark-hair poking out of the hood and realisation hit her. Without hesitation she rushed out of the shop. The figure was heading off down the street. They looked back and saw Hermione staring. Whipping around they started to run down the street. The brunette gave chase, desperately trying to catch the figure. She saw the tip of the cloak disappear around the corner and forced her legs to go faster. Running into the alleyway, Hermione was gaining and in desperation threw herself at the figure and rugby tackled them to the ground.

The figure fought back, trying desperately to get away, but Hermione was stronger and ripped the hood off.

"Sabine!"

The dark-haired Veela gave up struggling and Hermione stood up to allow her friend to do the same.

"Hello Hermione."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey guys. I apologise for the delay. There was a combination of writer's block and work kicking my butt. My weekends are being taken up by marking (I'm a teacher) so this leaves little time to write. I also got stuck with where I was going with this chapter, so I have reverted to writing the chapter out before typing it up. This chapter is mostly filler and is shorter than I usually write, but I wanted to get something out for you guys to read. I could have written more but I'm conscious of doing too many "time jumps". I am getting started on the next chapter just as soon as I have eaten something. In other news I think I may have an idea about where to take 'Looks Can Be Deceiving', though this will mean an awful lot of changes to what I have written. I will get onto that just as soon as I have written and uploaded the next chapter for this. As always I appreciate all the support I get from you guys. I will finish this story (and I know how) it is just getting there. I really hope you enjoy this update. Disclaimer: All characters (except for Sabine and the cousins) belong to J.K. Rowling.**

"Sabine! What are you doing here? Are you alright? Where have you been?"

The questions flooded out of Hermione's mouth as she threw herself at the dark-haired Veela. Sabine stiffened slightly at the contact, before relaxing and returning the hug.

"I've been better, but I can't complain really," mumbled the Veela. "Most of my time has been spent with Aurelie...I mean my...my mum."

Hermione released Sabine from the hug to look at her more closely. There were dark circles around her eyes, which had also lost their shine. The brunette imagined that was how her friend felt: lost.

"Where have you been exactly?" asked Hermione.

"Are the family angry with me," Sabine replied.

It didn't slip Hermione's notice that the older girl had dodged the question again. Realising that would not get a response, the brunette answered the question.

"It may surprise you to hear this, but no, they aren't."

Sabine raised her eyebrows. If things weren't so serious, Hermione may have laughed.

"They're... they're not?" stammered Sabine.

The brunette shook her head. "Your cousins don't blame you for running off. Their anger is directed at Julienne and your mum and aunts for not telling the truth. They think everything could have been avoided if they hadn't kept so many secrets."

Sabine just nodded. Silence fell between them. Hermione didn't really know what to say. She wanted to tell the dark-haired Veela that everything would be alright, that she should just come back and it would all be forgotten. Even as she thought it Hermione knew it was a lie. Things were never going to be the same, too much had shifted and changed.

"Hermione?"

Both girls turned as they heard the shout. It was Armand clearly wondering where the brunette had wandered off to.

Sabine grasped the brunette by the shoulders to get her attention.

"Listen to me, Hermione." Sabine spoke quickly, her eyes darting over the brunette's shoulder in case anyone entered the alley. "You must tell no one that you saw me..."

"But..."

"No buts," interrupted Sabine, before Hermione get could a word in, "It's of the upmost importance that no one finds out we spoke. I have to go, don't ask me where. Promise me Hermione. Promise me you won't say anything. I have to keep you safe."

Hermione stared at Sabine. There was a manic look in her eye. The brunette found herself nodding.

"I...I promise...but..." stammered Hermione, but before she could finish her sentence Sabine had swept her up in a tight hug.

"There's far more going on than any of my family realises. They need to be wary of Guinevere and Dumbledore." She looked pained for a moment as she shared a look with Hermione. "Just know that everything I do, I do to protect my family."

"Hermione?!" Another shout came. The brunette turned to look and when she turned back Sabine had gone.

"Ah there you are, Hermione," said Armand, slightly out of breath. "I've been looking all over for you...everything alright?"

He saw the expression on the brunette's face and immediately became concerned.

"I...I..." Hermione wanted to tell him, but then she remembered her promise. Rearranging her face, the brunette forced a smile. "Sorry Armand, I just needed some fresh air. I didn't realise how far I had walked."

Armand didn't look convinced, but walked with Hermione back the way he had come. As they reached the end of the alley, the brunette turned and saw Sabine slipping away further into the darkness.

XXXXX

Once Hermione at returned with Armand to the twins' shop it was time to say goodbye. She promised the boys and Ginny that she would write and see them on the Hogwarts' Express on September 1st. Armand kept watching her out of the corner of his eye and didn't stop until they were safely back in France.

Hermione thanked him for accompanying her and sped off to see if Fleur was back yet. She found the blonde playing Gobstones with Gabrielle in the gardens. The rest of the cousins were also outside, taking advantage of the sun. The weather in France was a stark contrast to the fog covering London like a blanket.

"Ma belle, I missed you," said Fleur, jumping up to greet the brunette.

Hermione wrapped her arms around the blonde, moaning slightly as their lips met. She heard giggles from the cousins, but ignored them for the most part, choosing to instead make a rude hand gesture. This only resulted in more giggles.

"I thought you would have been busy sorting out Guinevere," said Hermione, ignoring the kissy faces being pulled by Valentine and Corinne.

"We have only just got back," explained Fleur, with a sigh. "She's proving to be a bit of a nightmare. Where she got all this information about Sabine and Aurelie we'll never know. We haven't been able to find out yet and Guinevere is rejecting every attempt that has been made at organising a meeting. She's just holing herself up in her castle. No one can get her to speak."

Hermione thought back to her surprise meeting with Sabine and realisation hit her.

"Are you alright Hermione?" asked Astrid. "You've gone incredibly pale all of a sudden."

"Y...yes...yes, I'm fine," stammered the brunette. "Just going to London has taken it out of me a bit. Diagon Alley certainly has changed now everyone knows Voldemort's back."

Fleur rubbed her back soothingly. "It must have been difficult. Come on ma belle, I'll run you a bath."

It showed how serious the situation was, that no made a single joke about the bath, not even Valentine. Hermione walked with Fleur up to their bathroom, her mind too busy running through the events of the day to pay any attention to what the blonde was doing. She was drawn out of her thoughts by Fleur tugging gently on her hand. Blinking, the brunette realised she was naked. It seemed that her girlfriend had removed her clothes by magic. Hermione moaned in appreciation as she sank into the bubbles.

The sounds of clothes falling to the floor startled her and she looked up to see Fleur naked, walking over to the bath. Scooting forwards, Hermione made room, allowing the blonde to slip in behind her. There was something comforting about sitting in the bath with your lover's arms wrapped around you. In that moment, Hermione had never felt safer.

"I know there is something else bothering you, ma belle," murmured Fleur, kissing the brunette softly on the neck.

Hermione didn't respond, she was paying too much attention to what the blonde's lips were doing. No one was capable of making her feel the way her lover made her feel.

"What happened ma belle?"

The brunette sighed and leant her head back. "I saw Sabine."

Fleur froze behind her, every muscle going rigid. For a moment there was silence, then Hermione felt her lover relax slightly.

"What did she say?"

"Not much," replied the brunette, pleased that the news had been taken so well. "She's spending time with Aurelie, but I don't know where, she wouldn't say."

"I'm not sure whether that's a good thing or a bad thing," muttered Fleur.

"Me either," agreed Hermione. "The thing is, she made me promise not to say anything. I only told you because I would hate to keep anything from you. You have to promise me you won't say anything either."

"But..." protested Fleur.

"No buts about it," interjected the brunette. "We need to ensure that history doesn't repeat itself with Sabine joining Voldemort. If we tell the rest of the family about this they will either disown her as a traitor, or run off to Britain trying to drag her back."

Fleur bit her lip. "You're right, but I don't like it. We have to assume that Aurelie is with Voldemort and his followers, wherever they may be, so Sabine must be with them."

"Possibly, but maybe Aurelie is trying to keep her away from all that. We have to offer support to Sabine now more than ever."

The blonde nodded and wrapped her arms tighter around her lover.

"There's something else," Hermione said suddenly. Once more she could feel Fleur tense behind her. "Sabine said that we should be wary of Guinevere and Dumbledore. What if he's the one who told her about Aurelie and Sabine? Dumbledore is the only other person who knew."

The blonde said nothing for a moment. Hermione could feel Fleur's heartbeat where she was leant back in her embrace.

"That would be the logical conclusion," agreed the blonde-haired Veela. "There is no way Aurelie would tell her, she hates Guinevere. My Grandmere certainly didn't tell her and the rest of the family would be quite happy to cut all ties with Guinevere. Voldemort wouldn't have said anything, it would be of no real benefit to him and if our sources are correct, his entire attention is focused on the Order and gaining control. Destabilising the Delacour coven doesn't achieve that. Dumbledore is the only other person who knew."

Fleur sighed and rested her head on her lover's shoulder.

"Things are different now, aren't they?" whispered Hermione.

"Yes, ma belle," replied the blonde, "but one thing will never change: I will always love you."

The brunette smiled. "I will always love you too."

Despite the awkward angle they managed to share a kiss. They spent a while soaking in the warm bath together, both content in the position they were in. For once Hermione didn't mind getting wrinkly; she didn't want to leave Fleur's arms. Seeing Sabine had taken more out of the brunette than she realised. She felt emotionally drained and couldn't help but wonder where the dark-haired Veela was and if she would ever see her again.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Before you say it, I know: my updates are like buses (wait for one and two come along!) So I wrote this chapter out, hated it, then typed it up and changed the entire thing! I took elements from the one I wrote and will use the rest for the next chapter, which will be Hermione returning to Hogwarts. Thank you to everyone for all the follows, favourites and reviews they honestly are the best thing in the world. Hope you enjoy this one. Slight pre-warning: There is some sexual content at the end for those who wish to skip that part. Disclaimer: All characters (except for Sabine and the cousins) belong to J.K. Rowling.**

As the summer break went on, the news from Britain was getting grimmer and grimmer. Disappearances, murders and destruction were reported daily in the newspapers, wizard and muggle alike. Hermione had taken to having the Daily Prophet delivered just to keep up with the goings-on across the Channel. Every time she opened the paper the brunette feared reading Sabine's name amongst the list of people killed. Thankfully there had been no mention of the dark-haired Veela, not in the Prophet nor from anyone else in the Delacour coven. It seemed she had dropped off the face of the earth.

Hermione had kept her promise, only telling Fleur of her meeting with Sabine. The blonde had also sworn to say silent, knowing that, for the moment, no good could come from telling the rest of the family.

"Penny for your thoughts," said Valentine, coming to sit down next to the brunette where she was in the drawing room.

"They aren't worth that much," laughed Hermione.

"Fleur will be back soon." The Veela knew that the brunette didn't like being away from her girlfriend and vice-versa.

Hermione smiled weakly. She was worrying constantly about her lover and what was happening to Sabine. It was beginning to affect her appetite too.

"Sabine will be fine too," reassured Valentine, correctly guessing the other factor worrying her friend. "She's made of strong stuff."

The brunette nodded, feeling sick. She wanted desperately to tell Valentine about seeing her cousin, but couldn't bring herself to break her promise. Hermione knew she was not the only one to be concerned about the dark-haired Veela, the whole family was. On a couple of occasions Hermione had seen some of the older members of the Delacour coven with tear-stained cheeks and knew that is was Sabine who they were thinking about.

"Come on," said Valentine, "I challenge you to a game of Wizard's Chess."

Hermione laughed. She hated the game, finding it to be barbaric, but appreciated the Veela's attempt to cheer her up. Needless to say she got her arse handed to her.

"Love playing this game against you," laughed Valentine, raising her arms in victory.

"Why's that?" asked Hermione, giving the Veela a playful shove.

"Because you are absolutely rubbish at it," explained Valentine, ducking as the brunette threw a cushion at her. "Now that's not very sporting. Come on, it's nearly time for dinner and you need at least fifteen minutes kissing time with Fleur before eating."

Before she could receive another shove from Hermione, Valentine dodged out of the way and ran out the room. The brunette ran swiftly after her, feeling her Veela soar to life and move her limbs faster. She was getting stronger and faster now that she was united with her Veela side. Hermione was surprised when, instead of heading to the dining room, Valentine turned and went out the back doors down towards the beach. They rushed down the steps built into the cliff and just before she reached the sand, the brunette caught up with the older Veela.

"You're getting like a Veela more and more every day, it's almost scary," said Valentine.

Hermione just smirked.

"SURPRISE!"

The brunette jumped out of her skin and nearly fell backwards. The Delacour family were all assembled on the beach, standing by a massive bonfire. Fleur was stood at the front, smiling broadly.

"What the..." said Hermione.

Fleur stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her lover. "It's a party ma belle. I know we haven't spent much time together and the holidays this year haven't been much fun." The blonde bit her lip, looking guilty. "We just wanted to throw this party," she gestured around at the rest of her family, "so we can all forget about everything for an evening and just have fun."

"It's wonderful, thank you," murmured Hermione, kissing her lover chastely. "You didn't have to do this."

"Yes I did," replied Fleur.

"Come on lovebirds, the rest of us want to eat," laughed Corinne.

The two lovers broke apart and Hermione blushed. She felt a painful twinge at the comment, it was the sort of thing Sabine would have said, just a reminder of the dark-haired Veela's absence. Forcing a smile, she looked over and saw that the family had brought some tables out, they had been piled high with food, mainly the brunette's favourites. Her stomach grumbled and she eagerly helped herself to some of everything. Apolline and Antonine had brought out chairs from the house and they all sat around the bonfire laughing and joking with one another.

Hermione couldn't think of a better way to spend an evening. The summer holidays were drawing to a close and she was once more faced with having to go back to Hogwarts, only this time there would be no Sabine. As she gazed around at the laughing faces of everyone assembled she realised how much each of them meant to her and how much she was going to miss them when she had returned to school.

As if reading her mind, Julienne asked, "Are you looking forward to going back to Hogwarts Hermione?"

The brunette hesitated before speaking. "I...not completely no," she admitted. "I'm just going to miss you all so much, besides it won't be the same without...without." She couldn't bring herself to say Sabine's name.

They all shared looks, some nodding in understanding.

"She will be fine, Hermione," said Apolline reassuringly. "Our girl is made of strong stuff and I'm sure she will return one day."

They all knew that this was not a guarantee and had been said more for self-reassurance than anything else. Some of the cousins shifted uncomfortably, but none of them were willing to disagree this evening, for fear of starting an argument.

"Your Veela should be fine now as well," said Julienne. "You united with it during the battle at the Ministry, so now there is no need for a potion anymore."

"Are you sure?" asked Hermione, fearing that without the other Veelas to keep hers in check she could rip up more bathrooms at Hogwarts.

"Relax, Hermione," Apolline reassure her. "Did you feel anything when you went to Diagon Alley?"

The brunette was silent for a moment as she thought back to her trip. She had been so focused on how depressed the magical street was and the shock of seeing Sabine that she hadn't even registered she had been without other Veela and hers had remained in check. It hadn't fought her for control and the only time she had felt it was when she was chasing Sabine. Her Veela side had instead joined with her.

"You see Hermione, there is nothing to be concerned about on that score," said Apolline, soothingly.

The brunette nodded, feeling better that she wouldn't have to contend with an out of control Veela again.

"It's only two years, ma belle," whispered Fleur, "then nothing will separate us again."

Hermione nodded and kissed the blonde again. "Two years is still a long time."

"It will be worth the wait," replied Fleur. The couple snuggled closer together, earning knowing looks from everyone else.

Despite their attempts to reassure her and make her feel better, Hermione still felt a great reluctance at the prospect of returning to Britain. She had briefly considered, not returning and merely home-schooling herself, but she promptly discarded this idea as silly, Harry still needed her in his fight against Voldemort.

It was the thought of leaving Fleur during a difficult time that bothered the brunette the most. It wasn't just Sabine leaving, but also the fact that Guinevere was causing waves. Admittedly there had been no further news of the troublesome Veela, but that didn't mean she was gone for good. Fleur was just beginning to take command of the Coven and it seemed to Hermione that she was abandoning her lover when she needed her the most.

A slight tugging on her hand brought the brunette out of her troublesome thoughts. Fleur was standing, holding Hermione's hand.

"Come for a walk ma belle."

The brunette smiled and got to her feet, she waved to the family and walked with the blonde down the beach. The sun had already set, but the evening had not lost much of its heat. It was soothing to stroll on the sand, listening to the waves rolling gently in. The sounds of the family clearing everything up from the beach were growing fainter and fainter. Fleur had said nothing so far, just content to walk alongside her love. Finally, when they could no longer hear the others, she spoke.

"I know you are not happy about going back ma belle, for more reason than one," murmured the blonde.

Hermione sighed and leaned into Fleur. "I can never fool you."

The blonde laughed. "That and we share a bond ma belle. Remember, I feel what you feel. I know the worry and desire to not return to Hogwarts has been building, not to mention your worry over Sabine."

"I know I have to go back. Harry needs my help for one and I also need my education, I just don't like leaving you." Fleur nodded in understanding as her lover explained. "At least with Sabine there was a small degree of comfort. Don't get me wrong, I love Harry and Ron like brothers, but they can be so frustrating at times. Ginny is a good friend too, but I had more in common with Sabine. She was like you in that she could understand me. Without you or her Hogwarts won't feel the same."

Fleur knew there were no words, which could dispel these feelings, so she did the only thing she could think of. She kissed the brunette passionately, offering comfort without words.

"Fleur," moaned Hermione breathlessly. "Make love to me."

"With pleasure," murmured the blonde, lowering her lover gently to the sand.

Hermione felt pleasure building as she felt Fleur rest her weight on top of her. They stripped the clothes off of one another with care, moaning when there was only skin and breasts coming together. The blonde kissed down Hermione's jaw to her neck, pausing to suck on her pulse point until she left a mark. Fleur carried on further, stopping to worship the brunette's breasts, sucking one nipple into her mouth until it was erect before switching to the other. Moving swiftly down Hermione's stomach she could feel her lover losing herself to the desire and pleasure, her breaths coming in pants.

The brunette wrapped her fingers into golden blonde locks, pushing her lover's head to where she needed her. Warmth was spreading from her centre to the tips of her fingers and toes. Fleur's slow descent down her body was tortuous and amazing in equal measure. Finally she felt the blonde's breath on her most intimate parts.

Fleur paused for a second, her mouth hovering over the sweetest of nectars, before licking from Hermione's entrance all the way to her clit in one smooth, slow motion. The brunette let out a guttural moan at the feeling. Her centre was assaulted by Fleur's mouth and she soon found herself begging for more. The blonde happily obliged, replacing her mouth with her fingers. She crawled back up her lover's body as her fingers brought Hermione closer and closer to the edge.

In an out, in and out, the brunette never wanted the feeling of Fleur inside to leave her, but at the same time she wanted to be pushed over the edge into oblivion. The blonde once more captured her mouth in a searing kiss, fingers still moving inside Hermione. The brunette came out of her pleasure-induced haze long enough to bring her fingers to the blonde's entrance. She plunged them in, causing Fleur to throw her head back with a groan. Hermione set a relentless pace, one that her lover matched. It was as if they were racing one another to climax, each wanting the other to go first. The night was soon filled with the moans of the two lovers, growing louder and louder. Hermione was trying to hold off her orgasm, but was fighting a losing battle.

"F...Fleur," panted the brunette. "I'm...I'm so...so..."

The blonde couldn't form words. She looked deeply into Hermione's eyes, before joining their mouths. Fleur could barely move her fingers, the brunette's pussy tightening the closer she got to orgasm. The blonde was close too. With one final thrust of their fingers they tumbled over the precipice together, swallowing the moans that were escaping their mouths. Fleur collapsed on top of the brunette, panting heavily. Hermione stroked her lover's back, breathing heavily as well.

Before drifting off into sleep, the brunette couldn't help but think how much she loved the blonde she held in her arms.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hello everyone and I'm so sorry for my long absence. I really lost the plot to be honest. I was hit by a massive case of writer's block and I had no clue where this story was going. I know the ending I just didn't know how to get there and felt exhausted so felt a break was needed to ensure I gave you guys the best story I possibly could. I'm back with another chapter and I'm hoping that this gives me the boost I need. I'm planning on doing loads and loads of updates over the summer break, but I hope to keep doing updates every so often. As always, I really appreciate the support and I'm sorry that it seems as if I have abandoned you all, I promise this story will be finished. Disclaimer: All characters except for Sabine belong to J.K. Rowling.**

It was a rather depressed Hermione who was sat travelling up to Hogwarts on the train. Ever since she had met Fleur she had always dreaded going back to school after every holiday, but after she had become friends with Sabine it was almost bearable. Now she had no idea where the dark-haired Veela was and felt a sense of dread pool in her stomach whenever she opened the paper for fear of seeing an article about Sabine. There had been no further contact with Sabine since that day in Diagon Alley. That hadn't stopped Hermione from looking for her all the time, whether around the grounds of the Delacour estate, or even on Platform Nine and Three-quarters.

"Mione, hey you listening?"

Startled by Ron's voice, Hermione turned to face him. Both he and Harry were looking concerned.

"It will soon be Christmas and you can be reunited with her," murmured Harry, trying to be reassuring.

The brunette smiled weakly. The boys were right of course, but that didn't stop the dull ache in her chest that was there whenever she wasn't around Fleur. She forced herself to take part in conversation, even the ones about Quidditch, remembering to laugh when she was supposed to and include the odd comment occasionally.

"So, I've been thinking about Malfoy being a Death Eater," Harry began.

Ron groaned and Hermione could tell that he had listened to this theory more than the one time in Diagon Alley.

"No, I'm serious guys, think about," continued Harry. "His dad is in Azkaban for getting caught at the Ministry and Voldemort lost that prophecy as well. Clearly he needs someone to fill his shoes."

"Harry we've been over this," replied Hermione, desperately trying to keep the exasperation out of her voice.

"No, you're not listening. I'm going to prove it."

Before they could react, Harry reached up to his trunk, wrenched it open and grabbed his Invisibility cloak. He ran out of the compartment leaving a gobsmacked Hermione and Ron behind. They shared a look at their friend's obsessive behaviour and Ron shrugged.

"You know what he's like when he gets an idea in his head."

Hermione nodded in agreement. It seemed to her that she was going to have to spend the year worrying about Harry again. She smiled to herself as she realised that was nothing new, she'd been doing it since they'd met.

The scenery changed the further north they went and the darkness began to grow. She had entered into a game of Wizards' Chess with Ron to help pass the time and to distract her busy mind from all the thoughts racing around. She was beginning to get really worried about Harry as they got closer to Hogwarts. He had disappeared to do whatever it was he was doing and hadn't reappeared. Hours had passed and they would soon be arriving at Hogsmeade station. Ron and Hermione left the compartment to get changed, but when they got back there was still no sign of Harry.

"He should be back by now, surely," said Hermione, sharing another look with Ron.

The Weasley nodded in agreement. "I'll go look for him, he has to be here somewhere."

"He's wearing his Invisibility Cloak," replied Hermione.

Ron just shrugged. "It's still worth a shot."

Hermione bit her lip. Harry's worse trait was his obsessiveness. His second worst was his hatred of Malfoy and those two had just been combined. A short while later the train began to slow down and Ron came back into the compartment, shrugging again. That seemed to be his favourite way of communicating.

"I couldn't see him anywhere," he said.

Hermione just stared at him. "You think?"

The train came to a stop and Ron and Hermione both left the compartment. The brunette kept her eyes peeled, searching up and down the train for any sign of Harry, but she couldn't see his messy black hair at all. It was the same result on the platform too. With a final look, the two Gryffindors made their way towards the carriages. Hermione stopped in her tracks when she saw the skeletal horses that were pulling them. She had heard about them from Harry, but the description hadn't prepared her.

"You can see them too, huh?" said Ginny, suddenly appearing at her shoulder. "Ron can see them as well."

The girls turned to look at Ron and saw him with an unnerved expression on his face. "Harry was right, those things are freaky."

There stood for a while in stunned silence until it was broken by the sound of Malfoy howling with laughter whilst clambering into a carriage full of Slytherins. He spotted Hermione and the Weasleys staring at him and pulled a face.

"I can't stand that boy," growled Hermione.

"Yeah," agreed Ron. "You'd think with his dad being the latest permanent resident of Azkaban he wouldn't be strutting around like he owns the place."

All three climbed into their own carriage, still keeping an eye out for their elusive friend.

Ginny stared at them curiously. "What's going on? You guys are acting weird."

"Harry went off to do…something on the train and we haven't seen him since," answered Hermione.

With a sudden jolt the carriage began its journey up to school. As their carriage approached the towering gates that marked the entrance to the school, Hermione saw a team of Aurors gathered closely inspecting all the students entering. It was unusual for the carriages to stop before going through the gates, but the brunette guessed that with Voldemort being back there were going to be a few changes with how the school operated. She stepped gracefully out of the carriage and made her way over to the gates. Professors Flitwick and Snape were monitoring the students as they passed into the school grounds.

"Do you think we should mention that Harry is missing?" asked Hermione.

"I wouldn't worry Mione, he probably skipped off the train and is ahead of us," replied Ron. "Besides, I am absolutely starving."

Hermione rolled her eyes at priorities being shown by the red-head but followed him anyway. She could always say something if she got to the feast and Harry wasn't there.

Taking her seat at the Gryffindor table she nearly cricked her neck in her efforts to spot Harry as she searched up and down the table. Ron grabbed the seat opposite her and immediately started fidgeting. The rumbles coming from his stomach announced what he was so impatient for. When the last student filed in and Harry still hadn't showed up, Hermione turned to signal to Professor McGonagall. The Transfiguration witch wasn't looking her way and a split second later she was grabbing her fork in order to tap against her glass to signal for silence.

Hermione felt a growing sense of worry mounting. She realised that it was her Veela and was relieved that, for once, it wasn't pushing her, but was instead trying to help. Just as Professor Dumbledore was about to start his opening speech the doors to the Great Hall opened again and Harry came rushing in. Hermione felt relief wash over her, but this was quickly replaced with more worry when she saw Harry's face was covered in blood.

Almost immediately whispering broke out across the hall at Harry's sudden appearance, especially considering the state of his face. He quickly sat down next to Hermione and when she went to ask him what happened he shook his head and pointed at Dumbledore. The old Headmaster cleared his throat and began to address the students. Hermione wasn't really listening, which was a first and instead tried to imagine what had kept Harry for so long.

Thankfully Dumbledore's speech was a short one, mainly because Ron was becoming very annoying and muttering under his breath about his desire for food. Harry barely had time to reach for a chicken wing before Hermione began her interrogation.

"Where the hell have you been?" Hermione growled, slapping Harry's hand away from the plate.

"Hey, what the hell Mione?" said Harry, rubbing the back of his hand.

"We've been worried sick wondering where you were," said the brunette, continuing to glare at her friend.

She quickly glanced at Ron and saw the red-head wasn't paying them the slightest bit of attention but was instead focused on filling his belly with as many sausages and chicken wings as he could. It amazed Hermione how much food that boy could put away. She finally returned her attention to Harry, who had taken the momentary distraction to grab some food off the nearest plates.

"I'm serious Harry," continued the brunette. "Ron went looking for you on the train, we then looked for you as we got off and then all the way up here. Imagine how shocked we were when you finally showed up, late, and looking as if you had been in a fight. What the hell happened?"

Harry sighed. "I crept into Malfoy's compartment and hid so I could listen to what he was saying. You won't believe what he said." Hermione immediately felt that worry build again when she noticed that look in Harry's eyes. "He was saying that he wasn't going to come back next year because there were big plans for him."

"Harry that doesn't mean anything, he could just be trying to impress…"

"You're not listening to me," growled Harry. "I'm telling you Malfoy is a Death Eater, I just know it."

Hermione just shook her head and reached for some food. She knew there was no stopping Harry when he was in this mood, it was always best just to let him go with it.

"So why were you late then?" asked the brunette, deciding to change the subject slightly.

Harry looked embarrassed. "Malfoy figured out I was there and matched to put a Body-Bind Curse on me. I didn't even have time to defend myself. I fell out of the luggage rack where I was hiding and he stamped on my nose, before making sure that I was covered by the Invisibility Cloak. The train began to move and I thought I was never going to be found. That's when Tonks suddenly appeared. She reached around until she found me and helped me off the train."

"Wow that was lucky," said Hermione. "Wait, what was Tonks doing here?"

"Apparently, she is stationed here guarding the school," replied Harry, stuffing some potatoes into his mouth. He swallowed and continued. "That wasn't the strangest thing. We got to the gates and found them locked, so she signalled for someone to come and get us with her Patronus. Hermione, it was a big dog, apparently it's changed, well at least that's what Snape said anyway. Do you reckon she's feeling guilty about you know…Sirius?"

Harry fell silent and Hermione didn't know what to say. He had barely said anything about what happened at the Ministry and the brunette didn't know how to help him. They fell into silence which was interrupted by Ron burping rather loudly. Harry and Hermione looked at one another and shook their heads, smiling at the behaviour of their friend and his lack of table manners.

The rest of the feast passed without any more talk of Malfoy and Ron remained oblivious, instead focusing on trying to break the world record for the amount of food one human being can consume. Hermione felt her eyes getting heavy and began praying for her own bed. She was glad that she could still keep her individual room. Finally, Dumbledore sent them off to bed and the brunette trudged out of the hall with the rest of the students and began to tread the familiar path up to Gryffindor Tower.

Yawning, she waved goodbye to the boys and went up to her room. Ron was only just finding out what had happened to Harry on the train and Hermione felt no guilt as she heard Harry launch into his Malfoy theory once more. It sounded as if Ron was in for a long night and she couldn't help but smirk. It was times like this she was thankful that she had her own room.

As soon as she entered her room she fought the urge to collapse straight onto her bed and go to sleep. She completed her usual night-time routine then stared at her bed. She had got so accustomed to sharing a bed with Fleur that the thoughts of sleeping alone suddenly made her feel wide awake. Deciding to put off climbing into a cold, single bed for a little longer, the brunette instead went to grab her copy of Hogwarts: A History. However, when she opened her trunk she was surprised to see a small blue book resting on the top of her things.

"That's strange," muttered Hermione to herself.

It hadn't been there when she had gone through her last-minute check that morning. Her frown deepened when she realised that after they had just left London she had opened her trunk to get some treats out for Crookshanks and it hadn't been there then either, which ruled it out as being a last-minute parting gift from Fleur.

Lifting it up carefully she slowly opened the first page and her mouth dropped open. There was a note scribbled on the inside cover in familiar writing, writing she had become accustomed to over the last year.

 _Didn't think I would leave you at Hogwarts on your own, did you?_

 _Sabine._


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: (Ducking for cover) Please don't hate me. I know it's been an age. I really do promise that I will finish every story, I mean that. I was hit by a massive case of writer's block. The problem I had was the fact that I knew exactly what was going to happen with the first two stories of this pairing. This one I had no idea. I know the very ending of the last bit, but no idea what to do in between. I decided to take a break until I got the ideas flowing and (fingers crossed) I might have it. I can't promise regular updates, but I'm going to try my absolute hardest, so please be patient with me. I could have posted something before now, but it would have been forced and probably a load of rubbish. You guys have been an amazing support and for that you deserve the best I can give. So, I am back and hoping I can get this written. As always, I thank all of you for reviews, PMs, follows and favourites. I apologise to those who have contacted either through PMs or reviews. I will respond, I just needed a break away to figure this out. I am really sorry and I hope you are still with this story and eager for more. Please let me know what you think. Disclaimer: All characters except for Sabine belong to J.K. Rowling.**

Hermione stared in shock at the words on the page in front of her. She would recognise Sabine's elegant handwriting anywhere and was in a state of shock. How on earth had the dark-haired Veela managed to slip the book into Hermione's trunk? The brunette went over every time she had opened her trunk and she was certain that when she had opened it on the train, shortly after leaving London, it had definitely not been there. She had been with her trunk for the entire journey up north for goodness sake. Except…except she hadn't. She had left the compartment along with Ron to get changed before arriving. They hadn't shared with anyone, so it was empty for a time. With a jolt Hermione realised the only explanation was that Sabine must have been on the train. But how?

She stared down at the little notebook in her hands in complete disbelief. For the whole summer she had been worrying about her friend, wondering where she was. Their brief meeting in Diagon Alley had only served to increase Hermione's worry rather than calming her. Running to her school bag resting against the bedside table, the brunette quickly grabbed a quill and ink. She sat cross-legged on her bed with her quill tip poised on the page.

 _Sabine,_

 _Where are you? Are you alright? How did you get this in my trunk?_

Her quill rushed across the page with the questions she wanted to ask the most. She paused and simply put three words.

 _I miss you._

Hermione felt a tear in her eye. She so desperately wanted to see Sabine again. To talk to her about everything that had happened. To let her know how missed she was by her family. She paused in her thoughts when she saw words begin to appear on the page, once more in Sabine's familiar handwriting.

 _I miss you too, mon ami. As for where I am, I can't tell you that. It would not be safe for me not to do so. Just know I miss you and wish I could be there for you._

Hermione nearly tipped her inkpot over in her haste to respond.

 _We are all so worried about you. Just come back to us._

She waited nervously for Sabine's reply, but her heart sank as she read the words appearing on the page.

 _I can't do that Hermione. Just trust me when I say I need to do this. Believe me, I wish I was there with you, laughing as we used to, but that is not possible right now. That's why I gave you this book. It's a means of us staying in contact even though I'm not there for you physically._

 _Wait, how did you get this book to me? Were you on the train?_

The thought of Sabine being on the train and not seeing her nearly broke Hermione's heart.

 _No, I paid a third-year to sneak it into your trunk. I did watch you get on the train. Although I could have done without seeing the Fleur-Hermione tongue-wrestling that you two insist on._

Hermione actually laughed out loud at that. It was those comments she had missed so much.

 _I wish I'd seen you. Last year was almost unbearable without Fleur. I only got through it because of you and now that isn't going to happen either._

This time Hermione could do nothing to prevent the tears from falling. Thoughts of everything that had happened over the past few months broke through along with the heart-crushing emotion of being without Fleur and Sabine. Her breath caught as she saw the next few words appear.

 _I could happen if we wanted._

The brunette froze, her quill hovering over the page. Before she could write more words appeared.

 _You can't tell Fleur. You can't tell anyone. I know I shouldn't ask you to keep things from your mate, or our family, but it is of the utmost importance that it stays between us. I wouldn't ask unless it was necessary._

Hermione paused. On the one hand she wanted to see Sabine. She needed to know that the dark-haired Veela was okay. On the other hand, she didn't want to lie to Fleur, or the rest of the Delacours. She shared everything with Fleur and the Delacours were family. This dilemma played out across her mind, one second deciding one way before switching to the other. Finally, she decided.

 _Okay. I promise I won't say a word._

Immediately her stomach started churning, but Hermione had to see her friend and if promising not to say anything was the way to do that then she would have to. She reasoned that she could start trying to get Sabine to come back and by the time Fleur and the others found out about their meetings the dark-haired Veela would be back. It was a weak and flawed reasoning, Hermione knew that, but she was determined to at least try.

 _I mean it mon ami. You can't say a word._

Hesitating for only moment, Hermione put her quill to paper with confidence, deciding to worry about the guilt which was already building later.

 _I promise. Just let me know how and I will be there. I give you my solemn promise that I won't say anything. You're my best friend Sabine and I won't betray you._

 _You have no idea how happy I am. I'll let you know when we can meet. Keep checking this book. I have to go now. The others are coming and they don't know I've got these books. Speak soon._

Hermione felt alarmed at the mention of others and rushed to dip her quill in the inkpot.

 _Sabine?_

There was no reply. With an increasing feeling of worry, Hermione screwed the lid back on her inkpot and kept staring at the page. After several minutes when she saw no response she finally closed the book. Although Sabine's words had done nothing to quell the fear she felt for her friend, Hermione felt somewhat relieved that she had heard from the Veela.

The brunette began to get ready for bed, suddenly feeling exhausted. She had no Fleur to comfort her this evening or for the next several weeks and now she had this feeling of guilt which had settled in her stomach.

"It's all for the best," Hermione said aloud to the empty room. It did nothing to reassure her, but she was determined to hang onto that for as long as possible.

XXXXX

The following morning Hermione didn't feel any better about her promise to Sabine. She hadn't slept well, instead having nightmares about Fleur and the Delacours shouting things at her. She must have looked terrible, because Ron and Harry exchanged worried glances when she joined them for breakfast. They must have thought she was simply missing Fleur, as they stayed quiet.

"Timetables are going to be handed out soon," said Harry, trying to distract his friend.

The brunette nodded and helped herself to tea. She knew there was no way she would be able to stomach breakfast, at least not today. The trio were startled by the arrival of the post. Hermione was shocked when a tawny owl landed in front of her, deposited a letter and then flew off knocking the orange juice over.

The brunette reached for the letter and felt another twinge of guilt as she saw it was from Fleur. Deciding to read it later, knowing the explicit content her girlfriend would have included, Hermione tucked it into her robes. She didn't fancy blushing in front of the boys, especially as they would realise why. McGonagall soon came down the table sorting out timetables. The sixth-years had to wait until the end as they had to arrange the subjects they wanted to take and their Head of House had to double check they had the necessary grades. Hermione was quickly cleared to take all the subjects she wanted. The boys' eyes had widened at the amount she was taking, but she merely shrugged. This year she needed to stay distracted. McGonagall gave her a small smile and the brunette hurried off.

She struggled to concentrate on her morning lessons. Her mind was waging a war with her conscience. She felt drained as she made her way along to Defence Against the Dark Arts class. Harry and Ron were already there so she hurried over to sit next to them. For a brief moment she wondered why they both looked so apprehensive, before realising that Snape was now the Professor of this subject.

"He's certainly made this room his own," murmured Ron.

"It's like we've not left the dungeons," Harry replied, looking around with some trepidation.

Hermione took in the classroom and saw what the boys meant. There were gruesome paintings on the walls, depicting some curse or other. The curtains had been closed casting a murky gloom and even the shelves had jars containing things they didn't want to ask about.

"Well, at least it's better than the garish pink that Umbitch had," said Hermione.

The trio looked at one another and laughed. They stopped immediately when Snape entered the room.

"Put your books away," he ordered in barely more than a whisper.

Students moved quickly to comply and sat staring at the ex-Potions Professor. No one seemed to want to talk.

"You've had five teachers in this subject so far, I believe," he started.

The room remained silent. It seemed as if no one wanted to point out that Snape had been at the school for longer and had clearly watched the previous teachers leave.

Snape set off around the edge of the room, speaking now in a lower voice; the class craned their necks to keep him in view. "The Dark Arts," said Snape, "are many, varied, ever-changing, and eternal. Fighting them is like fighting a many-headed monster, which, each time a neck is severed, sprouts a head even fiercer and cleverer than before. You are fighting that which is unfixed, mutating, indestructible."

Hermione actually felt a little sick. The way he was talking about the Dark Arts made her skin crawl. It seemed as if he had an admiration for them which no one should have. She then reminded herself that he had once been a Death Eater, so probably had been heavily involved with that branch of magic. Looking around she saw no one seemed particularly comfortable, not even Malfoy. This struck her as odd, but she thought nothing of it.

"Your defences," said Snape, a little louder, "must therefore be as flexible and inventive as the arts you seek to undo. These pictures" - he indicated a few of them as he swept past - "give a fair representation of what happens to those who suffer, for instance, the Cruciatus Curse" - he waved a hand toward a witch who was clearly shrieking in agony - "feel the Dementor's Kiss" - a wizard lying huddled and blank-eyed, slumped against a wall - "or provoke the aggression of the Inferius" - a bloody mass upon ground.

He set off again around the other side of the classroom toward his desk, and again, they watched him as he walked, his dark robes billowing behind him., "… you are, I believe, complete novices in the use of nonverbal spells. What is the advantage of a nonverbal spell?"

Hermione's hand shot into the air. Snape nodded at her.

"Your adversary has no warning about what kind of magic you're about to perform," said Hermione, "which gives you a split-second advantage."

"It seems you haven't stopped sounding like a textbook, Miss Granger," sneered Snape, "but yes, you are correct."

Hermione didn't bother looking embarrassed. Ever since she had joined with her Veela, there had been an increase in her confidence. A year ago she would have bowed her head and blushed, now however, she refused to be ashamed of the fact that she worked hard. Snape held her gaze for a moment, before continuing.

"Today's lesson you will work in pairs," ordered Snape. "One of you will attempt to jinx your partner, nonverbally and the other must defend themselves, again without verbally doing so. Begin."

Hermione turned and partnered with Neville. She briefly wondered how he had managed to get into this class, before grabbing her wand.

"How about you try and jinx me?" she suggested.

Hermione already knew she could do nonverbal magic. She had done it during the battle at the Ministry and had been practicing over the summer. Neville had screwed up his face in concentration, but so far the only thing he had achieved was looking constipated. It allowed the brunette time to glance around the room.

Most of her classmates were trying desperately to get something to happen. Some had resorted to cheating and merely whispered the spell, the rest had facial expressions similar to Neville's. As she looked around the room Hermione felt eyes on her. Turning she saw Malfoy. He was completely ignoring Pansy Parkinson, who he was partnered with and instead was focused solely on Hermione. The brunette felt unnerved. He realised he had been caught and quickly averted his gaze. What unsettled Hermione more wasn't Malfoy looking at her, it was the fact that he didn't give her his usual sneer. What unnerved the brunette even more was Snape watching her just as closely.

Deciding to turn her attention away from this strange behaviour, she refocused on Neville, who had progressed from looking constipated to a shade of purple which no human should go.

"Breathe, Neville for goodness sake," said Hermione. "You look like you're going to pass out any moment." It wouldn't be the first time, she thought to herself.

She was about to suggest they swapped, but Snape stopped them all.

"Weasley, what exactly do you call that pathetic effort?" drawled the Professor. "Here, I will show you."

Snape turned his wand on Harry and Hermione realised what was going to happen a split second before it did. Harry reacted instinctively and raised his own wand. Clearly forgetting the aim of the lesson was nonverbal spells, Harry shouted "Protego" and Snape went flying backwards, crashing into his desk.

Snape picked himself up and the whole class held its breath.

"Do you remember what I said about nonverbal spells, Potter," he spat.

"Yes," said Harry stiffly.

"Yes, sir," growled Snape.

"There's no need to call me 'sir,' Professor."

Hermione blinked in complete disbelief. Several other people gasped in shock. Snape was smiling in a way that told everyone nothing good was going to happen.

"Detention, Potter. My office, Friday night. Class dismissed."

Feeling grateful that Harry's cheek hadn't earned them any homework, the class packed up quietly and quickly. Hermione followed the boys out of the room and rolled her eyes as Ron immediately began patting Harry on the back. It was then that a student came up to Harry with a piece of rolled up parchment. He unrolled it and quickly read it.

"Hey, it's from Dumbledore. He wants to start his lessons with me on Friday. Hah, Snape won't be able to give me that detention after all," laughed Harry.

"Wait, what lessons?" asked Hermione.

"Oh right, you missed that bit," replied Harry. He immediately explained the private lessons that Dumbledore had mentioned, growing more excited the more he talked about it.

"I see," said Hermione. "Did he mention what he was going to teach you?"

"Nope, but it could be really advanced stuff," suggested Harry. "I need all the help I can get to go up against Voldemort."

Hermione suddenly had an uneasy feeling. They made their way down to lunch, but she couldn't shake the feeling. Ever since hearing that Dumbledore might have been working against the Delacours she had had a horrible feeling. She remembered as well what Sabine had said, which did nothing to alleviate her concerns. She sat down for lunch with the boys. They were chatting animatedly about what they thought the lessons would contain, but the brunette had no desire to join in the conversation. As she slowly ate, her gaze drifted to the Headmaster at the top table. He was laughing at something that Flitwick had told him. Hermione found she no longer viewed the old man in the same way. Before she saw him as a protector, the man who would defend everyone against evil. Now she saw something different. A man desperate to maintain power and control by any means. She just had a horrible feeling that Harry was the pawn in whatever dangerous game he was playing.

XXXXX

The final lesson of the day was Potions. She followed Harry and Ron along to the dungeons, amazed that either boy had achieved the necessary grade. They settled at a table together, along with Ernie Macmillan. The few Ravenclaws that were in the class had chosen a table together and it was the same with the Slytherin lot. Again, Hermione caught Malfoy staring at her and once more he averted his gaze without so much as a sneer. There had been a look in his eyes, but the brunette was having a hard time figuring out what it was.

Professor Slughorn suddenly entered the room, bringing Hermione out of her thoughts. He smiled warmly at the class and instead drew their attention to the simmering cauldrons around the room. Hermione of course was able to correctly identify all the potions and Slughorn smiled in amazement at her.

He set them the task of brewing a Draught of Living Death. The prize didn't really bother her, but Malfoy's reaction drew her attention. She gave herself a mental shake, deciding that Harry's wild theory was beginning to get to her. She focused on her own work but found herself increasingly annoyed at Harry. Whilst she had no problem breaking the rules, heaven knows she had broken a few, she was irate at Harry for copying something out of a book without any knowledge of who wrote it. He of course wouldn't listen.

"Do you have any idea how annoying you get when you're stubborn," she growled at him. Harry ignored her as always.

"You're just jealous that I beat you," Harry said as they exited the dungeon.

"No, I'm not," replied Hermione through gritted teeth. "I just don't think following instructions written in a book, by who the hell knows, is such a good idea."

Harry just shrugged. "Well all I know is that was the best Potions lesson I've ever had."

She ignored him.

XXXXX

Hermione had left the boys at the Gryffindor table. Ron was helping himself to seconds of everything and she wanted to read the letter she had received from Fleur.

"Good evening, Miss Granger."

Hermione spun around, wand in hand. She had a feeling someone had been following her and was surprised to see Dumbledore.

"Good evening Headmaster." She lowered her wand and slipped it up her sleeve again. Her Veela gave her a gentle nudge. Even that part of her didn't feel right about the old man.

"I trust you've had a good start back at school." He smiled at her kindly, but Hermione could see something in his eyes, a dangerous glint she had never noticed before.

"Yes," she replied. "It's been good so far." The brunette found it odd that he was asking these things. He had never done it before and he also wasn't in the habit of wandering the halls and asking students questions.

"I do hope the Delacours haven't been too troubled," he continued. "I hear there has been a spot of bother with some troublesome relations."

Hermione said nothing. She began to feel her anger build. She couldn't explain but she knew that he understood exactly what was happening and had a hand in it.

"Well, please let Julienne know that if she ever needs my help, she need only ask."

Hermione nodded, but still said nothing.

"Good evening, Miss Granger." He bowed to her and went back down the corridor.

The brunette shivered and not from the cold. Something was making her and her Veela feel very uneasy.

Turning, Hermione rushed back to Gryffindor Tower and up to her room. Throwing her things down, she grabbed the letter from her pocket and eagerly began to read. Immediately her chest began to ache as she read Fleur's letter. Although they had only been separated for a day, it felt like a month. She longed to feel the blonde's arms around her, to tell her everything that had happened. Hermione didn't trust Dumbledore anymore, which meant she had to be careful what she put in her letters. Call it paranoia, but the brunette would do nothing that could potentially put her mate or the family in danger.

She grabbed her quill and parchment and began to write a response. She talked about her lessons and Harry's new Potions book. Her quill paused as she cast her mind to Sabine and the book. Her gaze fell on the book which was on her bedside table. An internal struggle which had been going on all day came to the forefront of her mind. Her quill was poised, ready to reveal everything to Fleur, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Trusting that Fleur would sense this battle of her conscience and assume it was something else, the brunette signed off her letter without any mention of Sabine or the book. She reasoned with herself once more that if she wanted to get Sabine back then she would have to follow along with her promise and worry about the consequences later. Hermione sealed the envelope, deciding to take it to the Owlery the following morning.

It wasn't late, but the brunette felt exhausted. With a sharp pain she realised that unlike last year, there would be no going via Portkey to the cottage. She hadn't realised at the time how much she had enjoyed the quiet evenings sat in the living room with Sabine, neither saying anything, just sat reading. Hermione changed and climbed into her cold bed, wishing for Fleur, wishing that Sabine was safe. Reaching for the book she flipped it open and saw a message waiting for her.

 _So, how did your first day go?_

Smiling to herself, Hermione reached for her quill again and started writing.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Back once more! I'm trying to prove to you guys that I mean it when I say I have the writing bug again. I know I may have disappointed people with my long absence, but I really will finish this. I'm excited about this story once more and it feels so good. I start writing and then more ideas occur. The ending for this one only came this evening and I started writing this chapter yesterday. I am writing after work and plan to keep on doing that and hopefully at the weekends too. I cannot wait to finish this one now I have the ideas for how it will end. So excited to share that with you all. Really hope you enjoy so please let me know. I do feel as if I let you down with the lack of updates so I feel a bit like a puppy trying to get in your good books after doing something bad! Thank you for all the support you've given me as always, I really appreciate it. Disclaimer: All characters (near enough) belong to J.K. Rowling.**

The conversation with Dumbledore had unnerved Hermione. She spent the next few days on edge every time she was in the Great Hall or walking down corridors on her own. The hardest thing was imagining that the Headmaster was capable of anything but kindness, yet the fact remained that something wasn't right. Guinevere finding out about Sabine kept cropping up in the brunette's thoughts and the more she thought about it the more she began to believe that Dumbledore was the one who had tried to destabilise the entire Delacour coven. It was the only logical explanation, but that didn't stop Hermione from struggling to believe it.

She had shared her fears with Sabine using the book, but the dark-haired Veela had no idea who had revealed the truth to Guinevere, however she did confirm that it wasn't Aurelie. Hermione tried asking more about Aurelie, but Sabine dodged the question completely. It seemed as if she was not yet ready to discuss that particular topic. They had got into the habit of writing in the evening, sometimes forgetting how much time had passed. Hermione often found herself distracted in class, thinking about the evenings when she would write a letter to Fleur and then spend the next few hours writing back and forth to Sabine.

The thing Hermione didn't want to admit was that she really didn't want to be at Hogwarts anymore. She loved learning, but found her classmates irritating and immature. Everyday she would think about Fleur and how much she wished more than anything to be back with her. Hogwarts had lost its appeal to the brunette, something she never envisioned happening. Last year had been almost unbearable, but now, without the cottage and Sabine to escape to, Hermione found herself struggling with every passing day. To make matters worse, they had only been back a week.

Hermione sighed as she woke up on Monday morning with none of the excitement she usually had had over the years. Glancing over at the photograph of Fleur she kept on her bedside table she contemplated what it would be like to not return to Hogwarts and drop out like the Weasley twins had done the year before. Immediately she berated herself for being so foolish. Her education was important.

"Doesn't mean it's any easier being here," she murmured to the empty room.

With another sigh she threw the covers back and began to get ready for the day. She slowly made her way down to breakfast and felt relieved when she saw Dumbledore was absent from the top table. Every time she sat for a meal she had felt his eyes on her, but when she looked up he was engrossed in conversation. She didn't like it and wondered what the old man was thinking.

"Morning Mione," greeted Harry, as she sat down at the Gryffindor table.

"Morning," was the simple reply.

Ron was too busy stuffing his face with sausages to form words, but gave a grunt as a way of greeting.

Hermione helped herself to toast and marmalade thinking about the essay she had written for Ancient Runes. She was startled from her train of thought by a first year coming up to her. He said nothing, merely thrust a scroll at both the brunette and Harry with a nervous squeak and then ran off without explanation.

"What the…?" said Harry.

He shared a look of confusion with Hermione before they both turned to look at the scrolls. Ron hadn't noticed at all.

 _Miss Granger,_

 _I would be honoured if you would join me next week, on Friday evening, for a spot of supper in my rooms._

 _Hope to see you there,_

 _Professor H. Slughorn_

"What's that?" asked Ron, finally noticing the scrolls.

"Don't know," replied Hermione. "Some kind of invitation."

She passed it over for Ron to read.

"You got one too, Harry?" asked the red head. It was clear that he was more than a little put out.

Harry groaned. "I know what this is." The other two faced him with curious looks. "It's an invitation to his Slug Club."

"Slug Club?" said Ron and Hermione together.

"What in the name of Merlin's underwear is the Slug Club?" Ron asked incredulously.

Harry gave his friend an apologetic look. "It's this thing that Slughorn sets up for his favourite students." He paused. "The ones he thinks will do really well. He gets them into a club, puts in a good word for them in various places so when they become successful he can ask for favours. Gwenog Jones was in it and she gets him free Quidditch tickets."

Hermione stared at her invitation in shock. "Why the hell does he want me?"

The boys both stared at her in disbelief.

"Seriously Hermione?" said Harry.

"It couldn't have anything to do with the fact that you're the brightest witch ever, or that you are in a relationship with the next leader of the Delacour Coven, the most powerful one in the world. No, it couldn't have anything to do with that," drawled Ron sarcastically.

Hermione just pulled a face at him. It was clear he was hurt by not being included, so the brunette decided to hold her tongue. Ron practically threw the scroll back before stabbing another sausage with his fork, perhaps more violently than it deserved. Hermione shared a look with Harry and they both tucked the scrolls away.

XXXXX

Ron was in a foul mood for the rest of the week. Harry and Hermione tried cheering him up, but he was a little snappy. The brunette gave up in the end. It wasn't like she had asked to be invited to this club and she wasn't sure she was going to attend. The thoughts of someone getting to know her just so they could use her further down the line was not something she appreciated.

It was on Sunday night that Harry had his first meeting with Dumbledore. The trio were all curious what these private lessons would entail, but it was only Hermione who seemed to be wary of what their Headmaster had in store. She had tried raising it with Sabine in their nightly conversations, but the dark-haired Veela had said that she couldn't write and explain. This had left Hermione incredibly frustrated and had caused Sabine to apologise profusely, but repeating that it wasn't safe. This only made the brunette want to see her friend even more.

 _When can I see you Sabine? I have kept my promise and not said a word to Fleur, but she knows something is up. This bond we have means she can sense my emotions, you know that. I won't betray, but nor do I like lying to my girlfriend._

 _I'm sorry mon ami, I really am. We can meet soon, I just need to sort a few things out._

Hermione growled in frustration and shut the book. She was getting worked up and needed to relax. Heading down to the Common Room she saw Ron attempting to write his Potions essay.

"Hey Mione, do you think…" he began.

"No, I'm not writing your essay for you, or showing you mine," she growled.

Ron scowled and turned back to his parchment muttering about uptight Veela. Hermione stared into the flames. Harry had left for the Headmaster's office an hour ago and she had been on edge ever since. She had so many questions about him and no one to ask, or rather no one who would write a response to the questions. She could have asked Fleur, but she was so busy with coven business she barely had time to write a letter to Hermione, let alone worry about Dumbledore.

All of a sudden Hermione felt like crying. She missed Fleur terribly and the feeling of emptiness she felt at not being around the blonde was suffocating. Not for the first time she wondered how she could possibly get through another year of school. Just when the tears were beginning to fall the portrait hole opened and Harry rushed in. Subtly wiping her cheek, Hermione stood up to greet him.

"How did it go," she asked, barely giving him enough time to settle.

"It was eye-opening that's for sure," he replied.

"So, what did he teach you?" said Ron, completely disregarding his homework.

"He didn't teach me anything," explained Harry, "he showed memories."

"Memories," Ron repeated.

Harry nodded. "Dumbledore wants to show me some of Voldemort's past. He thinks it will help me fight him and also help us find something."

"That's just…" began Hermione, struggling to think of the word.

"Odd?" suggested Ron. "Weird? Downright frightening?"

"Not what I was going to say Ronald," said Hermione. "It would be of use, to understand why he is the way he is, I suppose."

"If you say Mione," said Ron, looking to Harry to share one of their looks, but their friend was too busy staring into the fireplace. "Hey, Harry? Still with us?"

"What? I mean, yeah, yeah I am," said Harry, startled out of his thoughts.

"What are you hoping these memories will help you find?" asked Hermione.

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. Dumbledore didn't say what."

The brunette found this bizarre, that their Headmaster had requested Harry's help with this, but wasn't revealing all the details. She decided not to say anything, knowing her friend wouldn't take kindly to Dumbledore's actions being questioned.

"It's still weird to me," said Ron after a moment's silence. "Seeing a kid Voldemort is just wrong. Hey, did he have a nose?"

Hermione rolled her eyes at the question and only half-listened to Harry explaining what he had been shown. She couldn't help but wonder what Dumbledore was up to. She bade the boys goodnight, Harry looking slightly disappointed, and went upstairs.

As soon as she got in her room, she began to pace. Her Veela side was telling her something wasn't right, but her human side was trying to give the benefit of the doubt. She had no evidence that Dumbledore was up to anything untoward, but she still knew he was. She growled in frustration at not knowing what was the truth and what was paranoia and lies. She needed Fleur. She needed Sabine. The latter would at least be able to tell her Aurelie's side of things. Hermione had contemplated just confronting the Headmaster, but even she wasn't that brave. None of it made sense anymore and the brunette hated it when things didn't make sense.

Wanting an escape for a while, Hermione changed into running gear and went back downstairs. Harry and Ron both looked up again from their discussion about the Pensieve.

"Errr, Mione…you'll get in trouble for leaving the Common Room now," said Harry, tentatively.

Both boys were wary when Hermione was in this mood.

"I'll be fine." Hermione tried to reassure them. "I just need to get out of here for a bit."

Harry looked at Ron, but the redhead just shrugged. He had no desire to get on the brunette's bad side, he had been there one time too many. Hermione smiled and slipped out the portrait hole.

It was pitch-black in the corridors, but the moonlight was creeping through the windows giving her just enough light to see. As a prefect she knew the route that was usually taken on the patrols, so knew how to avoid them. Finally, after a close encounter with Mrs Norris, she finally made it out into the fresh night air.

Despite being up north, the weather was still relatively warm for September. She took a deep breath and immediately felt herself relax. Hermione followed her usual route and with a pang realised that there would be no Sabine joining her as she had done the previous year.

As she ran past Hagrid's hut she glanced over at the spot where the Beauxbatons carriage used to be. She felt that pain stab her in the chest as she thought about all the times she had run down to the carriage to see Fleur, to the laughter and joy she had experienced throughout that year. Now she was truly on her own. As she ran she thought about how her life had changed so dramatically over the past two years and wondered what the future had in store with so many threats on the horizon.

Her leg muscles began to burn with the exertion so she stopped for a moment to recover. It had been a while since she'd had a proper run and her legs were letting her know. Panting slightly, she rested against a tree, breathing deeply. A twig snapped nearby, causing her to jump. Something was there. Her Veela was on high alert and she gazed as far into the gloom as she could. Her legs began moving backwards before she even realised, her Veela nudging her to move. Deciding this was one occasion not to be curious, Hermione listened and ran back to the castle. She was glad for her Veela as it allowed her to run faster than a normal human. As she reached the oak front doors she glanced back. She didn't see anything, but her Veela was telling her something, or someone was there, watching her.

The prefect patrols had long since stopped, so the journey back to Gryffindor Tower was easier. When she got into the Common Room she saw that both boys had gone to bed. The fire had died down to embers and she noticed Ron's homework abandoned on the floor. Rolling her eyes, she picked it up and placed it neatly on the table, mentally reminding herself to have a word with him about organisation now they were NEWT students.

Her legs were already protesting stairs as she climbed up to her room and she wished that she wasn't so tired, otherwise she would have a bath. Once in her room, Hermione went to collapse on her bed when she saw a letter propped up against her window. Immediately she saw it wasn't from Fleur. She didn't recognise the handwriting at all. It hadn't been there when she had left for her run and it hadn't been delivered in her absence, because the window was still shut. She briefly thought an owl must have taken it to the Common Room and the boys put it in her room, but then she remembered they couldn't get in the girls' dormitories.

Hermione felt a shiver run up her spine and she immediately glanced over at Sabine's book. It appeared to be exactly where she had left it. Opening the letter, she began to wonder who the letter was from. Her eyes widened with shock when she saw who.

 _You have never met me, not properly anyway, but you know who I am. I find myself intrigued by you and that is not a good thing. You seem to be a remarkable witch, I just wonder how remarkable. I look forward to seeing what your role is in this little game which has started. I'll be seeing you soon, but you won't see me coming._

 _Guinevere_


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: This is a chapter that went in a direction I hadn't planned. Not in a bad way, just that as I started writing I got extra ideas I wanted to add. That means that I already know what I want to include in the next one! I just have to do one chore and then I will start writing the next chapter. I have ideas for the next 9 chapters and I already know how I would like to end this story (at least the main bits). Thank you so much for your support and thank you to anyone who has followed, favourited or reviewed this story it really does inspire me to keep going. Disclaimer: All characters (except for Sabine) belong to J.K. Rowling**

Guinevere's letter had unnerved Hermione. She wanted desperately to tell Fleur about it, but knowing her girlfriend the blonde would run off to wherever Guinevere was and cause an incident. She tried to calm herself, knowing that Fleur would be feeling the panic also. Finally getting her breathing under control she began to get ready for bed, but knew that sleep wouldn't come this evening. Sighing, the brunette grabbed a book, propped herself up on the pillows and began to read.

She must have nodded off at some point as she woke with a start a few hours later. Pain shot down her neck as a result of sleeping at a strange angle and she winced as she rubbed it. Today was going to be a long day. She met Harry and Ron in the Common Room, looking frantic if their worried looks were anything to go by.

"What's happened?" asked Harry, straightaway.

She must have looked terrible, because even Ron was looking concerned.

"Was it your run?" suggested Ron. "Did something happen?"

Hermione shook her head. "No. Listen, did either of you let an owl in or put a letter in my room last night?"

Both boys looked confused, before shaking their heads.

"No and there wasn't one hand delivered either," said Harry.

They suddenly saw Ginny and called out to her. She looked curiously at them as she muttered something to her friends and walked over.

"Did you put a letter in Mione's room last night?" her brother asked her.

"No. Why?" replied Ginny.

Hermione glanced around to check whether anyone was listening. "I went for a run last night, to clear my head, and when I got back to my room someone had placed a letter on my pillow. My window was shut so it wasn't delivered by an owl."

"Couldn't one of the other Gryffindor girls have done it?" asked Ginny. "Lavender? Parvati?"

"Highly unlikely," Hermione answered. "They would be more likely to read it themselves and then give it to me saying it was delivered to them by mistake."

"It's not that bigger a deal, is it?" said Ron.

The brunette considered telling them about Guinevere, about all the trouble she was causing, about everything that had happened with Sabine, but she knew they would worry and they had enough to be focusing on.

"I guess not," lied Hermione. "Just a bit strange that's all."

They knew she was lying. She knew they knew, but she forced a smile and suggested breakfast. Without waiting to hear a response she left the Common Room. The others did not see the smile on their friend's face be replaced by a look of worry.

XXXXX

The letter was at the forefront of Hermione's mind throughout her lessons that day. She had never been so distracted during the first few weeks back at school. After spending the morning worrying, Hermione had decided to tell Sabine in their nightly conversation. She could tell Fleur the next time they met, otherwise the blonde could do irreparable damage without being calmed down properly. Taking advantage of a rare free period, Hermione made for the library and settled herself in her area at the back with a good book. It was the one room in the castle which calmed her unlike any other.

It was as she was reading that she became aware of footsteps shuffling closer. Choosing to ignore it she carried on, until whoever it was came and stood next to her.

"That looks like a most engrossing read."

"Professor Dumbledore," exclaimed Hermione. She'd had a feeling it was him. Apparently her Veela sense was becoming more aware.

"I do find nothing more enjoyable than losing one's self in a good book, don't you agree?" He smiled sweetly at her, but she realised for the first time that it wasn't reaching his eyes.

"Yes, I read every night before bed. It relaxes me," replied the brunette. She was feeling wary, but wasn't sure why.

"Ah, it is the same with me. Alas, most of my evenings are now spent reading letters. Nothing ruins an evening quite like reading a letter from an unwanted person, wouldn't you agree. Have a good day Miss Granger." With a small bow he left.

Hermione felt like she had been plunged into an ice bucket. How did he know about her letter? She gave herself a mental shake. It could have just been a coincidence, but she had a funny feeling it wasn't.

The bell rang making her jump. Stuffing the book back in her bag she made her way down to lunch.

She was about to enter the Great Hall when a voice called out her name. She turned and almost cried with relief. Armand came walking up to her and embraced her in a big hug. She returned it and found herself crying, without really knowing why.

Armand was patient with her, rubbing her back gently trying to sooth her. Curious students walked past, wondering what was happening. After a short while, Hermione drew back to see the French man's warm smile.

"Sorry," mumbled the brunette, suddenly feeling incredibly embarrassed.

"Nonsense, clearly something is troubling you," replied Armand, squeezing her hand. "Why don't we take a walk in the sunshine? I have already grabbed us some food."

Hermione nodded and allowed herself to be led outside. They walked down to the lake, where, with a wave of his wand, Armand summoned a table and two chairs. Ever the gentleman, he pulled out Hermione's chair for her. She smiled at him. He had such a way of calming everyone down and making you smile even when you didn't feel like it.

"Fleur sent me," said Armand, as they began to tuck into their lunch. "She would have come herself, but Julienne has given her a few too many tasks."

Hermione nodded. "She explained in her most recent letter that she was being kept busy."

"So," Armand went on. "How is everything going?"

The brunette looked up from her food and saw a knowing look in his eye. Immediately she knew that the previous night's panic and worry had not escaped Fleur's attention.

"What did she tell you?" Hermione asked with a sigh.

"Not much, just that you were worrying about something and it wasn't school related."

The brunette nodded, taking a moment to chew her food before replying. "I received a letter from Guinevere."

Armand dropped his fork with a clang. "What?"

He stood up and began pacing. "What did she say?"

"Nothing much," replied Hermione. "Just that she knew who I was, she was intrigued by me and I would be seeing her very soon."

Armand stopped for a moment and stared at her. Finally, he spoke. "That chienne has overstepped the mark this time. There's more to it than that, isn't there?" he said with another knowing look.

Hermione sighed. "So much more."

She began to explain her suspicions about Dumbledore, the lessons he was teaching Harry and what he was up to. She told Armand that she thought it was the Headmaster who had told Guinevere about Aurelie, but neglected to tell him anything about Sabine. She desperately wanted to, but she couldn't bring herself to break the promise she had made to the dark-haired Veela.

"Do you think I should have told Fleur?" Hermione asked in a small voice.

She felt the French man grab both her hands at once and he knelt down so they were level.

"If you had done so, Fleur would not have been able to contain her anger. She is already so worked up being apart from you that telling her may very well have been like putting kindling to flame."

"I want to see her, so so badly." Hermione began to cry. All the agony and loneliness that had built up burst out and she couldn't stop the tears from falling.

Armand wrapped her up in a hug. "I know dear one, I know. She wants to see you too."

"How am I supposed to get through this year? I have one more to go after this and I don't even think I can bear this year," sobbed Hermione.

"I don't have a solution, but carrying on like this is not going to help anyone." He seemed to decide something for he stood up with a furrowed brow, his eyes restless. "Non, it cannot carry on. We will finish our lunch, you will tell me about the start of the year, any worries, any triumphs and then we will get this mess sorted out. I can't have you or Fleur feeling this way. I will not allow it."

He sat back in his chair and offered more food and changed the subject to the latest pranks Gabrielle had pulled at school. He soon had Hermione laughing again and she felt so grateful to him for coming over to cheer her up.

Once they had finished their lunch and gone through all her subjects, the brunette realised she had missed an entire lesson. Armand held up a hand when she began to panic.

"Relax dear one, you needed this. Now, how about you go up to that Common Room of yours. I just have to go and sort something out and then I will be right with you."

Hermione tried protesting but to no avail. Finally agreeing, she swung her bag back onto her shoulder and walked back up to school with Armand. He left her to go up to Gryffindor Tower and bustled off.

Thankfully the Common Room was relatively quiet, with the exception of Katie Bell and a few seventh-years. She realised with a start that Harry and Ron were in Charms, a class she was supposed to be in. She groaned. Her dedication to her studies had certainly taken a bit of a hit.

Just when Hermione was beginning to wonder where Armand was, the portrait hole opened. Professor McGonagall came in accompanied by the French man. The brunette had wondered how he thought he was going to get into the Common Room.

"Miss Granger, perhaps we could have this conversation elsewhere," suggested Professor McGonagall, giving a quick glance to the seventh-years, who were all looking over with looks of great curiosity.

Taking the hint, Hermione followed her Professor and Armand out of the Common Room and along to the former's office. Once inside McGonagall gestured to two seats in front of her desk.

"Mr Delacour has just got out of a meeting with Professor Dumbledore, who has asked me to sort the details out," explained the Professor. Hermione looked puzzled, but allowed McGonagall to continue. "It has been…decided that you are free to use the Portkey you had access to last year at weekends only, in order to 'take a break' if things are getting a bit much."

Hermione was still a little confused. "What exactly do you mean, Professor?"

Armand cut in before McGonagall could say another word. "You can go to the cottage where you stayed last year at weekends. It will be a far more relaxing environment for you and can allow you to focus fully on your studies."

Although she was touched by what Armand had arranged for her, the brunette failed to see how it would help with her missing Fleur. Not wanting to seem ungrateful, especially as McGonagall didn't seem too sure about it, Hermione smiled.

"That would be really great," she lied.

In truth, having the constant reminder of the absence of Sabine in the cottage and Fleur not being able to visit wasn't exactly appealing.

"It will be given the best protection to ensure that no one else can…disturb you," explained Armand.

Hermione took this to mean that it was a safe place away from Guinevere and Dumbledore. McGonagall didn't look thrilled about the situation.

"I must stress to you Miss Granger, that this is a privilege. No other student from Hogwarts has permission to go with you and it must only, _only_ , be used at weekends. Failure to comply will result in this being taken away and serious punishment."

"I promise, I won't abuse it Professor. I will only use it as and when it is needed," said Hermione.

The Professor nodded. "Good. Very well. Now that is all sorted, please excuse me. I have a group of third-years to teach."

Both Armand and Hermione stood up and left the office. They walked silently down to the Entrance Hall.

"Do not worry, Hermione. Everything will get sorted."

The brunette nodded. "Thank you for coming here, for lunch, for listening to me and sorting the cottage out. Thank you for everything basically."

Armand shook his head. "Not at all. Family helps family. Now as it is a Friday that means that you are free to use the cottage this evening and I would if I were you. You never know, you might find something you will really like." He gave a quick wink before hugging her.

Without another word he turned and left, giving a final wave at the door before heading towards the gates. Hermione rushed after him, wanting to know what he meant, but he was already half way to the gates. He was a lot quicker than he looked.

XXXXX

Both Harry and Ron were incredibly jealous that not only had Hermione bunked a lesson, but she had also got away without punishment.

"If we did that, we would be in detention for a month," moaned Ron.

"It wasn't like I did it on purpose," Hermione countered. "It happened by accident."

Ron just stared moodily at his homework. "So unfair," he muttered.

The brunette would have laughed if she wasn't missing Fleur so much.

Hermione went up to her room to drop her bag off before dinner when she saw the old Portkey on her bed. A note was attached to it.

 _If I were you, I would use this for tonight. Trust me. Armand_

Puzzled, Hermione wondered why, but decided to do as the note suggested and trust him. She went back downstairs, told the boys she wasn't going to dinner as she was full from lunch and went back upstairs. Harry and Ron had become accustomed to this behaviour, ever since she had been separated from Fleur again, so didn't question it.

Hermione grabbed a change of clothes and touched the Portkey. The familiar tug behind the navel greeted her touch and she felt herself launch forward into nothingness before her feet hit the ground again hard.

She barely had time to recover before she was wrapped up in a hug. She began to struggle before she recognised the scent.

"Fleur?"

"I missed you ma belle," purred the familiar voice.

Drawing herself out of the warm embrace, Hermione looked into the eyes of the person she had been missing the most. Deciding to forgo words, the brunette crashed her lips against her girlfriend's surrendering herself completely. Tongues wrestled for dominance and the brunette couldn't stop the moan that escaped her lips.

"Ahem."

Startled, Hermione broke apart from Fleur, who was looking a little dazed from the kiss. Standing behind Fleur were two people the brunette hadn't seen in too long.

"Mum? Dad?" she whispered.

She let go of Fleur and threw herself into her parents' arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

"It's alright Hermione. We're all here now," said Emma, soothingly.

After several minutes of crying into her mother's shoulder, the brunette drew back wiping her eyes with her sleeve. She turned and saw Fleur standing off to the side looking incredibly concerned. Hermione held out a hand and the blonde took it, but didn't look any less worried.

"Why don't we sit down and eat," suggested Hermione's father, gesturing towards the dining room.

The brunette could only nod. All the overwhelming emotion seemed to have robbed her of her voice for a moment. She allowed Fleur to lead her by the hand. Before taking her seat at the table, Hermione captured Fleur's lips in a delicate kiss, needing to be close to her lover. Both girls' heads turned as Emma and Jack came into the room carrying plates of steaming food. The brunette's stomach rumbled and she found that she felt hungry for the first time since she had returned to Hogwarts. As they ate, Hermione and Fleur constantly held hands, feeding themselves with one hand. Emma exchanged a smile with her husband as they watched.

"So, pumpkin, how has school been so far?" asked Jack, after a while.

"It's been good," replied Hermione. When everyone raised their eyebrows, she elaborated. "Lessons have been fine, but I've struggled with being away from everyone."

"Mainly Fleur, I bet," laughed Emma.

"No, no," said Hermione quickly, before she realised her mother was joking.

Emma put down her cutlery with a sigh, her smile vanishing. "Listen Hermione. Ever since you brought Fleur to meet us, we knew that our little girl wasn't little anymore. When we saw the two of you together, we realised that perhaps this was more serious than we had previously thought. Then we heard about Fleur's responsibilities and we saw your enthusiasm to help and we knew then that you were beginning to grow up. You don't seem to need us anymore, which is fine," she added quickly, "but we will always be here for you."

Emma's voice broke suddenly and she looked down at her plate.

"I will always need you mum," said Hermione, getting up from her chair to hug her mother.

"I know," whispered Emma. "Don't let your dinner get cold."

The brunette laughed a little and sat back down. "The truth is, I've been doing a lot of thinking lately." Hermione paused, unsure what to say next.

Fleur had been silent throughout and seemed to be struggling with something. Emma noticed immediately.

"Darling," she said to her husband, "will you help me grab the gravy, just in case we need more."

Jack looked up puzzled. "But why is that a two-person job?"

Emma frowned at him and nodded towards Fleur and Hermione.

"Oh…right," said Jack, finally cottoning on. "Yes, I should…check that you…don't…spill it. Yes, that's what I should do."

Hermione laughed and looked at Fleur, but saw the blonde staring at her plate. Growing concerned, she waited until her parents at gone into the kitchen, before turning to face her girlfriend.

"Fleur, you're scaring me. What's wrong?" asked Hermione.

The blonde opened her mouth, seemed to struggle with forming words and closed it again. The brunette gave her time and finally Fleur spoke.

"I'm angry at myself," explained Fleur. "I've caused you to feel sad and unhappy when I'm supposed to make you feel safe and loved."

Hermione shook her head. "What are you talking about? How exactly have you caused it?"

"My stupid role in the Coven," said Fleur, getting up and pacing. "If I stopped being so damn selfish for once, then I could focus on what's important and that's you."

"Fleur will you stop. What kind of person would I be if I asked you to put aside all of that for me?" asked the brunette. "If you don't take up your position in the Coven then it just gives Guinevere the ammunition needed to take control."

"But…."

"No, buts," argued Hermione. "You are going to carry on doing what you are doing. Yes, it keeps you busy and yes, that means you aren't able to come and visit me, but dammit Fleur, Guinevere can't destabilise the Coven with Voldemort out there and if us having to live like this and feeling miserable is the price to pay, then so be it."

Fleur's shoulders drooped and she sat down next to the brunette looking defeated. It took a moment for Hermione to realise that the blonde was crying.

"I can't lose you, ma belle," sobbed Fleur. "It would destroy me."

"You won't," Hermione countered, as tears of her own began to fall.

The brunette wrapped her lover up in a tight hug and they just held one another, crying together, feeling their joint pain.

"We will get through this and be stronger for it," said Hermione, determinedly.

They broke apart and instead rested their forehead together.

"Well something is going to have to change," said Fleur, sighing. "I'm going to speak to my Grandmere. We can't carry on like this, no matter what we say. I will find a way to change this and make it work."

Hermione said nothing. She didn't see how things could change at this stage, but she didn't want to say it out loud. Instead she chose to kiss Fleur deeply, savouring it, wondering how she was going to cope when the blonde left again.

Emma and Jack suddenly made a lot of noise to let the couple know they were coming back in. They took their seats and the two young lovers broke apart.

"You know," said Fleur, "for a couple who decided it was a two-person job to bring gravy in, you've done a rubbish job of it." When the Grangers looked confused Fleur carried on. "Where's the gravy?"

Hermione burst out laughing at the mischievous look on her girlfriend's face and smiled warmly at her parents.

They finished the rest of dinner with more laughter than the first half. Although nothing had been resolved, Hermione felt happier for having talked to Fleur and the blonde seemed to have her usual spark back. It was only when the brunette began yawning and resting her head on Fleur's shoulder that Emma insisted on bed.

"Go on, the pair of you," she insisted. "We'll tidy everything up."

"We will?" said Jack. His wife threw a napkin at him. "Yes, of course, darling, we absolutely will. In fact, why don't you have another glass of wine and I'll do the clearing up."

"Well, I'm the luckiest wife in the world," laughed Emma, kissing her husband.

Hermione hugged both her parents and left the room, heading upstairs with Fleur. Once on the landing, the brunette wasn't sure what to do. Her lover took the lead, pulling her into the bedroom they had shared the previous year.

"Your mother suggested it," explained Fleur, when Hermione looked nervously downstairs.

"Really?" asked the brunette.

Fleur nodded. "She knows we are having sex ma belle."

The blonde burst out laughing at the horrified look on her girlfriend's face.

"I meant what I said earlier," murmured Fleur. "I will find a way to make you my priority."

Hermione knew there would be no arguing the point, so settled for wrapping her arms around her lover's neck.

"I've missed you so much," whispered the brunette.

"I'm here now," Fleur replied.

They started to undress one another. Hermione was aware that her parents were just downstairs and would probably be going to bed soon, but she had missed the blonde too much. Hands roamed freely as the couple began to lose themselves to their passion. They kissed and both moaned. Clothes fell to the floor and they collapsed on the bed, blonde on top of brunette.

Hermione gasped as she felt Fleur's mouth everywhere. On her lips, neck, breasts, stomach. The brunette brought her lover's mouth to hers and instead guided delicate fingers to her core.

"Just your fingers tonight," whispered Hermione.

She let out a breathless moan as she was filled. No teasing, just Fleur's fingers right where they needed to be. The brunette trailed her fingers down, slowly. Fleur paused in her deep strokes, waiting in anticipation to feel her lover where she needed her the most. She gave a soft growl as Hermione bypassed her centre and instead scratched gently down the blonde's legs. Chuckling slightly, Hermione brought her fingers back up again and slipped them into Fleur's centre.

They kissed passionately, beginning a rhythm that they had long become accustomed to. Breathy moans filled the room, each witch wanting to bring their lover to the edge. Hermione was plunging her fingers in deep, timing each stroke with Fleur's skilful fingers. The overwhelming desire to come was causing shivers. Hermione felt the walls of her pussy clench and Fleur's did the same before finally they both crashed into oblivion. Waves and waves of pleasure rolled over their bodies and Hermione shouted out in sheer relief at the feeling. The brunette tried to pull her fingers out of Fleur's centre, but the blonde was gripping her too hard.

"Stay in me," gasped Fleur. "I need you."

"Something tells me we aren't getting any sleep," whispered Hermione, still trying to catch her breath.

"Not if I can help it," Fleur smirked, before kissing her lover once more.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hello two chapters in one day! Told you I had the writing bug again. The next chapter has already been started, but I've had to stop my writing for today because I'm off out to dinner with some old school friends. I hope you enjoy this chapter too. Just a quick note to say a massive thank you again and also to say I've changed the way the book entries between Hermione and Sabine appear. It's bold and italic for Hermione and just italic for Sabine. Enjoy and I hope to have the next chapter up tomorrow. Review if you want to. They give me a good kick up the bum to keep writing. Disclaimer: All characters (except Sabine) belong to J.K. Rowling.**

The smell of baking was the first thing that greeted Hermione the following morning. She stretched her tired muscles and snuggled closer to Fleur, who was still fast asleep. Hermione didn't know what time they had eventually collapsed and fallen asleep, but she loved waking up next to the blonde and the dull ache between her legs. The sex had been even more amazing than usual and she knew it was because of their time spent apart. A knock on the door startled Hermione.

"If you're awake, just to let you know breakfast will be on the table in five minutes," came Emma's voice through the door.

Hermione smiled to herself. "We'll be right down."

The brunette heard her mother shuffle off downstairs and turned her attention to her still sleeping girlfriend. Whatever the blonde was dreaming about was causing her to smile and Hermione almost didn't want to wake her. She began to kiss Fleur gently and eventually the blonde became aware and opened her eyes sleepily.

"What time is it?" she croaked.

"Not sure," replied Hermione. "My mum just came and said that breakfast was ready."

The brunette nearly fell out of bed as Fleur sat up suddenly.

"Your mother came in here?" said the blonde, suddenly looking scared.

Hermione laughed and kissed her girlfriend on the cheek. "No, she called through the door. Do you honestly think I would be this relaxed if she had walked in. The thought of my mum coming in and finding us both naked and me draped over you is enough to make me blush."

Relaxing back into the pillows, Fleur gave a lazy smile. "That's true. I know your parents probably know we are having sex, but there's a difference between thinking and knowing."

Hermione got out of bed and laughed as she saw the pout on the blonde's face. "Breakfast is ready," she argued. "Besides you had my naked body last night, several times."

Fleur smirked and looked rather proud of herself. "Yep." She popped the 'p' for extra effect. "And if your parents weren't in the cottage I would be enjoying you for breakfast instead."

The brunette threw some clothes at her lover. "Get dressed. We are going to have breakfast with my parents."

Fleur pouted again, but got out of bed and began to dress.

"Don't think I haven't forgotten about the panic you felt the other day either, ma belle," said Fleur as they left the room. "I may have asked my father to come see you, but I still know there is more going on than you just missing me."

The brunette nodded, but didn't say anymore. Her parents were waiting for them in the dining room again and she didn't want to cause them anymore worry.

XXXXX

Hermione was relieved to find that Fleur was able to spend the entire weekend with her. Her parents on the other hand had only stayed until Saturday evening. They were loath to leave their daughter, but they knew that she would be happy in Fleur's company. With plans to see each other at Christmas, Emma and Jack Granger left just after dark to head back home, leaving Fleur and Hermione with the rest of the evening and Sunday to spend together.

After waving the Grangers off, the couple came back into the living room and flopped down onto the couch. Fleur immediately wrapped herself around her girlfriend and nuzzled against the brunette's neck.

"So, what do you fancy doing now?" There was a lusty note to the blonde's voice, which could only mean one thing.

Hermione wanted more than anything to spend what little remained of the weekend naked with Fleur, but they needed to talk first.

"As much as I would love to, there are things we need to talk about," she murmured.

Fleur drew back a little, but did not relinquish her hold. She sighed and looked serious.

"You're right, ma belle, of course," the blonde agreed. "I want to know what was bothering you so much, but didn't want to push too hard."

"I know," said Hermione. "But I'm ready to talk."

They rearranged themselves into a more comfortable position, knowing that this conversation was going to be a long one.

The brunette started with her suspicions about Dumbledore and Guinevere and the fact that the Headmaster seemed to be up to something. Fleur had not been happy, especially when she heard about the old man 'bumping' into Hermione in the corridors.

"Then when I found that letter on my pillow, with no idea how it got there, it just scared me a little. More so when he hinted that he had been the one to put it there," the brunette explained.

Fleur looked puzzled. "What letter?"

Hermione had been right to wait to tell Fleur in person. As soon as the blonde had learned that Guinevere had contacted her lover, she had jumped up and looked around the room for the Veela, as though she expected her distant cousin to suddenly pop out of the closet and yell "Surprise!".

"That bitch!" shouted Fleur, completely losing her cool and flipping the coffee table.

Hermione winced as the wood splintered. The blonde was definitely not taking this well.

"Fleur please, calm down," said the brunette. "It was only a letter. What she is currently doing to destabilise Julienne's control of the Coven clearly isn't working, so she's trying to get under your skin."

"I should find that chienne and rip her limb from limb," roared the blonde.

"Whilst tearing off body parts is clearly a touching symbol of your love, I don't think it will achieve anything," Hermione reasoned.

"It might not achieve anything, but I'll feel better."

Fleur was still pacing and Hermione was worried that the sideboard was about to get the same treatment as the coffee table.

"Please, baby, think about this," pleaded the brunette. "Guinevere knew you were going to react like this. She is trying to provoke you into doing something. We have to be smarter than her. How would the rest of the Coven feel if she actually did do something to me?"

Fleur stopped pacing and breathed deeply, clearly trying to calm herself down. "If she did do something, the Coven would be furious," growled the blonde.

"Really?" replied Hermione. She was surprised by this. "But I'm not a proper member of the Coven,"

The older Veela shook her head. "Doesn't matter if we aren't married yet. That ring on your finger means that I will propose to you at some point and we will be married…so long as you say yes."

The brunette absent-mindedly started playing with said ring. "Firstly, of course I would say yes," smirked Hermione. "Secondly, I didn't think they would see me as someone they would all defend, at least not yet."

"You are my intended," Fleur explained. "She can't lay a finger on you without incurring the wrath of the entire Coven. It wouldn't stop her saying something to you, hence the letter I presume, but she can't physically hurt you. It's one of our most sacred laws. If she caused you injury no one in the Coven would support her in a fight."

Hermione got up off the couch and wrapped her arms around the blonde's neck. "You see. She was trying to provoke you."

Fleur reluctantly nodded, but still had a furious look in her eye. "You're right, but that still doesn't mean I'm happy about it. If she contacts you again, let me know straightaway. I mean it Hermione, you must. And stay away from Dumbledore. Don't let him get you on your own again."

"But…" the brunette began, but she saw it would be no use to protest. "Alright, I promise I will tell you."

The blonde looked slightly reassured, but still not happy. "Was it just that letter bothering you?"

Hermione felt her stomach churn. Now was the chance to tell Fleur about Sabine, the book and the nightly conversations she had had with the dark-haired Veela. The brunette had never kept a secret from her lover.

"No…no that was it."

She felt awful about lying, but she couldn't break her promise to Sabine. If the dark-haired Veela found out that Hermione had told Fleur, she would lose her chance to get her back from Aurelie and Voldemort. It didn't make the brunette feel any better.

"So," said Fleur, with a slight purr, "which room do you want to try next."

Hermione was about to respond, but the blonde had already hoisted her up, heading for the kitchen. It seemed she would have a bit more of an ache between her legs before she went back to school.

XXXXX

Monday morning proved to be a bit of a struggle for Hermione. It had taken every ounce of her willpower to separate herself from Fleur that morning. The blonde had stayed for the rest of the weekend, deciding to leave for France again when Hermione had gone back up to school. It had been a tearful parting, but with the promise that she would find a way to improve their current situation and after making plans for the Hogsmeade trip, Fleur had left. The brunette had no doubt that her lover would make it work somehow, so felt far happier returning to school than she had been at the start of summer. She grabbed the Portkey and landed with a thud back in Gryffindor Tower. She winced as she took the stairs down to the Common Room.

The two lovers had made the most of the weekend and Hermione was having a bit of trouble walking as a result of their activities. Truth be told, she was sure it was the longest she had remained naked.

Harry and Ron both looked shocked as they saw their friend limping towards them at the Gryffindor Table.

"What happened?"

"Are you alright?"

Hermione could have laughed at the amount of concern etched onto their faces. She knew it must look bad, because Ron had dropped his forkful of bacon.

"I'm fine, honestly," she said.

"Really?" asked Harry. "You do look a lot happier a least."

"I am. I went to the cottage I used last year. I've been given permission to use it again," Hermione explained.

"We did wonder why you'd gone," said Ron. "Ginny said she couldn't find you and when we went to McGonagall she just told us not to worry."

The brunette was touched by their concern, especially considering how strained her friendship with Ron had been two years ago.

"I'm fine, in fact I feel so much better."

"Right, well…good," said Ron. Deciding the matter was settled he turned his attention back to his bacon and eggs.

"Are you Mione?" asked Harry, still looking worried.

Hermione laid a hand on his lower arm. "Honestly, I am feeling a bit better." When he didn't look convinced she rolled her eyes, realising she would have to spill. "I spent the weekend with Fleur. She came over from France."

"Oh," said Harry, simply. "Oh!" Sudden realisation of what his friend had been doing hit him and he squirmed a little.

"Relax, my parents were there for some of the weekend," laughed the brunette.

He gave a weak smile and gulped some orange juice, slightly too enthusiastically causing him to spill some down his robes.

Hermione rolled her eyes and tucked into a plate of scrambled eggs.

"Oh, you missed the Slug Club by the way," he said. "I had detention with Snape, but Ginny went. Apparently, it was boring, but Slughorn was most upset that you missed it. Don't worry though, Ginny made some excuse."

"Can't imagine I will go to too many of them to be fair," said Hermione. She didn't think having a few dinners and then having constant messages for the rest of her life asking for things was something she would be interested in.

She had Ancient Runes first and found herself engaging in the lesson for the first time that year. She answered questions and contributed to the discussion. At the end Professor Vector gave her a smile and a small nod.

The rest of her lessons that day were the same. At dinner that evening Ron got a Stinging Jink to the side when he suggested that having a good shag had kickstarted Hermione's year. Ginny looked shocked, having not heard this news, then roared with laughter.

It was only when she was getting ready for bed that night that Hermione realised she hadn't spoken to Sabine in days. She quickly grabbed the book to find several messages from the dark-haired Veela. Grabbing her quill and ink she hastily scribbled a reply.

 _ **I'm so sorry Sabine, I was in a bit of a state, so Armand arranged with Dumbledore for me to use the cottage again. Fleur then surprised me with my parents and I spent the weekend with them.**_

Sitting cross-legged on the bed, she nervously waited for a response.

The minutes ticked by and there was still nothing. Thoughts raced across the brunette's brain. Was Sabine hurt? Was she angry that Hermione had disappeared without a word? Had Aurelie found the book? Even worse, had Voldemort or Bellatrix found the book?

At the last thought, Hermione got off the and began pacing. She would glance back at the book every time she turned. Just as she was contemplating contacting Fleur and admitting everything she saw words begin to appear on the page.

 _See that's all you needed. Sex with my cousin. I feel sick just thinking about you two kissing._

Even through the written word Hermione could sense the sarcasm. More words appeared on the page and the brunette quickly read them.

 _Did you tell Fleur about this?_

Hermione grabbed her quill again and hastily answered.

 _ **No. I promised I wouldn't and I haven't.**_

 _I didn't think you would, it's just I don't think it's safe for too many people to know I'm writing to you. Fleur would tell Julienne and she would tell the rest of the family and then it would be all over the place._

It didn't escape Hermione's notice that Sabine had written Julienne instead of Grandmere.

 _So, what's new with you then?_

The brunette hesitated. Sabine didn't know about Guinevere's letter. Deciding that she needed someone else to confide in besides Fleur, Hermione began to write.

 _ **I got a letter the other day. It was put in my room by someone. I'm not sure who it was, but I have sneaking suspicion it was Dumbledore. Anyway, that's not the important part, the thing is it was a letter from Guinevere.**_

Hermione waited for the response, realising she was probably about to get the same reaction that Fleur had had and hoped there were no coffee tables where Sabine was. Finally, the words began to appear. The brunette could tell that her friend was angry just by the speed at which the words were coming onto the page.

 _Please tell me you're joking! What the hell is that chienne up to? Don't worry I will sort this out somehow. There's no way she is getting within an inch of you. Stay inside the castle, that cottage cannot be safe, especially with Dumbledore around. That reminds me stay away from him too. If you have to wander around the castle, do it with someone else. And don't go to the library by yourself. I know that avoiding that place will cause you physical pain, but stop being the book nerd for once, or failing that drag one of those two delinquents you call friends along with you. You cannot be alone with that man. If he is up to something with Guinevere then you can't leave yourself vulnerable to either Dumbledore or Guinevere._

 _ **I think Guinevere was trying to get a reaction. As for sorting it out, don't you dare. I had to talk Fleur out of it too. That woman was clearly trying to provoke the family into doing something stupid and if you do anything you are just playing into her hands. Clearly whatever she is planning to get you Grandmother out of power isn't working. The cottage is perfectly safe. Fleur added extra protection. Now only those I want to let in, can get in. Some sort of magic that the Veela have, I didn't actually ask about it. I promise I will stay away from Dumbledore and I am absolutely not a book nerd.**_

 _You are a book nerd, just accept it. My cousin is not as stupid as she looks then._

Hermione rolled her eyes at the comment.

 _ **My girlfriend is very intelligent thank you. Now let's change the topic. What have you been doing?**_

 _You can believe that, I know that Fleur is the girl that tried to eat a cactus when she was little. When's the next Hogsmeade weekend?_

Sabine had dodged the question again. Every time Hermione tried to find out what the dark-haired Veela was up to, she would ignore the question and change the subject. The brunette had said something about it, but every time Sabine would say that it wasn't safe. All that did was make Hermione worry more.

 _ **It's in a few weeks' time, 12**_ _ **th**_ _ **October I think. Fleur is coming that day too. You could meet up with us?**_

Even as she wrote it the brunette knew the last sentence was a waste of time. Sure enough when she read Sabine's response it was clear the older girl had no intention of reuniting with her family.

 _Thanks for the invite, but as I said, you guys kissing makes a Veela feel queasy. I better go. Might not be able to write tomorrow night either. Speak soon._

Hermione didn't feel good. She knew from previous experience that when Sabine said bye she meant it. Closing her book, the brunette placed it carefully on the bedside table. Worry began building in her stomach again and Hermione knew she had to calm herself down, or risk worrying Fleur once more.

Knowing that exercise helped, Hermione began to change into running gear but stopped. She felt uneasy about leaving the castle after dark, partly because of the warnings she'd had to not go anywhere alone and also because the last time a letter from Guinevere had appeared. Deciding that she would have to abandon late night running, Hermione decided that she would just have to do yoga instead. She had to stop the thought that something terrible was going to happen from creeping into her thoughts. The last time that had happened Sirius had been killed and she had a sneaking suspicion that his would not be the last death.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hello guys. Sorry this week has been manic, otherwise this would have been written and uploaded sooner. Work kicked my butt and I nearly fell asleep cooking dinner the other day, so there was no way I could write. This is a relatively short chapter, but originally it was part of the last chapter, but that would have been too long and I thought two separate ones would be better. Now I'm back into the full swing of work I probably won't be able to update during the week, but we'll see. Instead I'm going to try at the weekends. I won't promise anything, because you all know my updating has been erratic. I just want to say a massive thank you to everyone who reads this story, favourites it, follows it and/or reviews it. You are the only reason I write this. Hope you enjoy this chapter, things begin to take shape a bit more. Disclaimer: All characters (except Sabine) belong to J.K. Rowling.**

The next few weeks flew by for Hermione. She had expected them to drag since she had been parted from Fleur again, especially as she was eagerly awaiting the first Hogsmeade visit of the year to see her blonde again. In truth, Hermione had found herself completely distracted. Sabine had gone silent. She had written a short note a few days after the previous one saying she would be gone for a while, that Hermione shouldn't worry and she would write again when she got back, but the brunette had heard nothing since.

It had been 3 weeks now and Hermione was growing incredibly worried. There had been reports of attacks in the Prophet and what had alarmed the brunette more was the mention of Bellatrix Lestrange and an unidentified woman. Hermione suspected the other woman was Aurelie, but it begged the question: where was Sabine?

The dark-haired Veela's disappearance had caused Hermione to lose her appetite once more. Harry, Ron and Ginny were becoming concerned and tried speaking to the brunette about it, but Hermione lied and told them it was stress over NEWTS. The fact that she was lying to her friends and Fleur did nothing to stop the guilty churn in her stomach.

Finally, the morning of the Hogsmeade trip arrived and Hermione found herself jumping out of bed at the prospect of seeing Fleur again. The blonde had owled the previous morning asking to meet at the Three Broomsticks.

Ron and Ginny laughed when they saw their brunette friend fidgeting at the Gryffindor Table, her excitement obvious. Harry just blushed as he always did, especially when Ginny started making some very inappropriate jokes about what plans the Veela couple had.

"For your information, we plan on spending the day fully clothed," said Hermione, after one too many jokes.

"Uh huh," replied Ginny. "If that's true than I'm a house elf."

The brunette resorted to simply sticking her tongue out, just as Professor McGonagall walked past. The Transfiguration teacher raised an eyebrow and carried on walking past, causing Ron, Ginny and Harry to burst into fresh gales of laughter.

Hermione practically ran down to the village when she finally got past Filch and his vigorous security checks. Part of her was worried that Fleur wouldn't be there, but she had no need. As soon as the village pub came into view she saw her blonde standing patiently outside. Hermione threw herself into Fleur's blonde, nearly knocking her off balance.

"It's good to see you too, ma belle," laughed Fleur as she wrapped her arms tightly around her girlfriend.

Hermione didn't bother responding, she just kissed the blonde as deeply as she could considering the rather public setting they were now in.

"I missed you," whispered the brunette.

"I missed you too," replied Fleur.

They walked hand in hand down the street. They had no particular plans in mind, they just wanted to enjoy each other's company. Hermione was enjoying being with her girlfriend once more so much so that she didn't pay attention to where they were going until they came to a stop. Looking puzzled, the brunette looked at Fleur who just smiled, in that way that said she had planned something special. Hermione was shocked when she looked at the building they had stopped in front of to see where they were. It was the restaurant that the blonde had taken her to on their first official date, _La Veela._

"Fleur!" squealed Hermione, excited to be back again.

"I thought it would be nice to come back here, it's been almost two years to the day since we first went here."

"Has it only been that long?" said Hermione, shocked. "It seems like a lot longer than that, in a good way of course."

Fleur kissed the brunette and they both headed inside. They were seated at the same table as before and Hermione couldn't help but think her lover had done it on purpose, or at least pulled some strings to make it happen. The waiter brought over some drinks, but no menus. When Hermione looked confused Fleur explained.

"I've taken the liberty of ordering."

"Have you indeed," said the brunette, raising an eyebrow.

They giggled and held hands, staring into one another's eyes. Hermione had missed this. The time that they spent together. She wanted to say that she was going to drop out of Hogwarts or take her NEWTs early, but she knew that Fleur wouldn't allow it and she also knew that it would be the wrong decision.

The waiter brought the food over and Hermione smiled at her girlfriend when she saw it was the same food they had ordered the first time they had been there. It smelt too delicious to wait, so both girls eagerly tucked into their food. It was a struggle to finish three courses, but somehow Hermione managed it, although she was sure her stomach would regret it later.

Like the previous time, when the bill came Fleur refused to allow Hermione to even see it, let alone pay for it. The brunette pouted playfully, but acquiesced.

The temperature had dropped by the time they were outside again. They cuddled together as they walked back up the street arm in arm. They headed for the Three Broomsticks and both felt relief when they stepped into the warmth.

"I thought we could meet Harry and Ron here," said Fleur.

They spotted the boys seated at a table and hurried over to join them.

"Fleur! Hermione!"

Both boys greeted the couple as they sat down.

"How have you been?" asked Fleur.

The conversation flowed freely and Hermione marvelled at how far they had all come in two years. They laughed and joked the whole afternoon, which wasn't even ruined by the sight of Malfoy scowling at them on his way back from the toilet. The brunette knew as soon as the Slytherin appeared Harry would launch into his theory and sure enough Fleur was soon victim to it, whilst Hermione and Ron sat bored. Like the other two, the blonde was not convinced and Harry once more looked deflated, although he still had that obsessive glint in his eyes. Hermione just shrugged at Fleur.

"We best be heading back up to the castle," said Ron. "We don't want to be last back and I don't want to give Filch an excuse to ram that Probity Probe somewhere I don't want it."

After saying goodbye to the boys, the blonde suggested going back to the cottage.

"Mmmm, I like that idea," said Hermione. "I'll have to go up to the castle and use the Portkey, otherwise I won't have signed back in and they'll get worried. I'll meet you back there. I'm just going to use the ladies first."

Fleur nodded, gave her girlfriend a kiss on the cheek and a promise to have the bath hot and steamy by the time she made it back to the cottage. Hermione just managed to stop the moan from passing her lips as she thought of Fleur naked and wet in the bath.

With a suggestive wink, the blonde stepped out into the cold and Hermione headed to the back of the pub. She was just coming out of the toilet, thinking about ways to treat her lover, when she felt a yank on her upper arm and she was pulled into the cupboard. Her wand was out in a flash and she growled at her attacker, only to nearly drop her wand in shock when she saw Sabine.

"Sabine!" she shouted, before clapping a hand over her mouth. "What…what are you doing here? How are you here?"

The dark-haired Veela just smirked. "Well you clearly miss my charm and wit, so I thought I should pop along to say hi, before heading back."

"Well…it's great to see you," laughed the brunette, hugging Sabine tightly. "I've been so worried about you." She punched the dark-haired Veela hard on the arm.

"Ow! What was that for?" complained Sabine, rubbing her arm.

"That was for going silent on me," Hermione scolded. "I've been worried sick, wondering where you are."

"Still no need to hit me," murmured Sabine. "I told you I had to disappear for a bit."

"That doesn't mean I'm not allowed to worry. Where have you been anyway?" asked the brunette.

Sabine but her lip. "I can't tell you that. It's not…"

"Safe, I get it," growled Hermione, throwing her arms up in frustration. "Dammit, this isn't funny, this is dangerous. Your family are worried sick about you, Sabine. They haven't heard from you, there are reports of Bellatrix Lestrange being seen with some woman, who we all know is Aurelie. Just what the hell is going on?"

"I can't tell you that," repeated the dark-haired Veela. "I'm not being difficult," she added as Hermione again threw her arms up in frustration. "I'm doing it to keep you all safe."

"What does that even mean?" screamed Hermione in frustration.

"Please keep your voice down," pleaded Sabine. "No one can know I was here. Just please trust me. You do trust me, don't you?"

The brunette glared at her friend, but felt her gaze soften as she saw the desperation in her eyes. "Yes…yes I trust you. Just don't go silent like that again."

"I'll try not to," said Sabine, smiling weakly. She glanced over her shoulder then grasped both of Hermione's hands tightly as she turned back to face her. "Listen I have to go, just stay away from Dumbledore."

Before the brunette could say anything, Sabine was gone. Hermione stayed there for a moment, then she remembered she was supposed to be going to the cottage. Hurrying out of the village, she made it up to the castle. There was a large crowd in the Entrance Hall muttering about something, but the brunette paid them no attention. She raced up the stairs to Gryffindor Tower and into her bedroom, grabbing a few things and then the Portkey. She landed in the Living Room with a crash.

"There you are," said Fleur, getting up off the sofa. "I was beginning to get worried."

She wrapped Hermione up in a hug and immediately the brunette felt like crying. She contained her emotion before the blonde sensed it and instead kissed her.

"Sorry. It was a bit crowded in the Entrance Hall, it took a while to get through," explained the brunette. It wasn't a complete lie, she told herself.

"Well come on," said Fleur, grabbing her lover by the hand. "I've got the bath all prepped and ready for us to spend an evening enjoying each other."

Despite how horrible she felt after the encounter with Sabine, the brunette couldn't help but laugh. She allowed herself to be led up the stairs and with a quick spell to remove her clothing, she was slipping naked into the bath with Fleur behind her. Hermione sighed in contentment and put her head back against the blonde's shoulder.

"Just what I needed," murmured Hermione.

"I have some news, ma belle," whispered Fleur. "I've spoken to my Grandmere and I'm free to spend every weekend with you."

Hermione turned around so fast she nearly emptied the bath of water. "What?! That's amazing," she squealed.

The blonde laughed and adjusted their positions so it was more comfortable. "I thought that might cheer you up. I will arrive on a Friday night, barring any urgent business, and stay until Monday morning. That way it won't be as tough for us."

"I think that is an amazing idea. I'm so happy." Hermione kissed Fleur, desperate to feel close to her blonde.

"Mmmm, I do love bathroom sex," murmured Fleur.

"Incorrigible," laughed Hermione, moaning a split second later as she felt her lover's fingers slip into her.

They started up a rhythm. Fleur working her fingers inside her girlfriend, whilst Hermione rolled her hips. Her breath was coming in pants as she felt the pleasure building. It had been a while since they had last been together and the brunette knew it was going to be embarrassingly quick. Sure enough, it only took her few more strokes from Fleur's fingers before Hermione was crashing over the edge as her orgasm gripped her. Her body convulsed at the ripples of pleasure and she collapsed against her lover panting heavily.

"You're right," gasped Hermione. "I love bathroom sex."

Fleur laughed and kissed her girlfriend. "What do you say we try the shower next?"

Hermione squealed as the blonde lifted her up with ease and carried her over to the shower. It looked as if she wasn't going to be walking straight on Monday again.

XXXXX

Hogsmeade was beginning to darken after another weekend of Hogwarts madness. The shops were shut up. The restaurants and cafes had switched their signs to closed. The streets were quiet, most residents having settled in the warm behind closed doors. Only one figure remained outside.

They walked swiftly down the street, flitting between shadows trying not to be seen. Once outside the village their pace slowed, until they were by the Shrieking Shack where they waited, as if expecting someone. Twigs cracked nearby, announcing the arrival of another person. The first figure took out a wand as a precaution. Once the second shadowy figure had emerged from the tree line, the wand was lowered.

"I thought you were an Auror. Don't do that next time."

"An Auror would have jinxed first and asked question later, Sabine."

Sabine threw back her hood and tucked her wand back into her robes. "Well most people don't decide to meet up after dark near the Shrieking Shack, mother."

Aurelie smiled at her daughter. "Sorry, come here." The older Veela held her arms open and Sabine hugged her mother tightly. "I assume everything went according to plan."

Drawing back, Sabine nodded. "Yes. I spoke with Hermione. I didn't tell her anything, just that it wasn't safe to tell her."

Aurelie nodded. "Good, you've done well. The plan is beginning to take shape, we just need to play our part and soon this will all be over."


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Surprise! Another chapter. I know I said the weekend, but I suddenly got the desire to write this evening, so I went with it and this is the result. I really hope you enjoyed the last chapter. I know it was a bit on the short side, but I felt I couldn't add it to the one before that. This one is longer and went slightly different to the one I originally planned, but I love the way I leave this one. Things are beginning to fall into place and I hope you guys enjoy it. I've got quite a few ideas for where this is going which tie together nicely and it's made me really excited about writing again. Anyway, as always thank you so much for all your support, reviews, favourites and follows. Disclaimer: All characters (except for a few) belong to J.K. Rowling.**

For the first time in a long while Hermione finally felt content at Hogwarts. She had spent the weekend in as much the same as the last time Fleur had stayed at the cottage: naked. She went back to school on the Monday morning with a smile on her face and she was once more struggling to walk. She couldn't keep that smile off her face, especially now that she knew that she would be living with Fleur again at the weekends.

The happy feeling she was experiencing was often punctuated by fear and anxiety every time the post arrived in the morning. Hermione would look up when she heard the flapping of wings and her breath would hitch as she waited to see if she got a letter from Guinevere. There hadn't been another one, but that didn't stop the brunette from thinking about it.

She had done as Sabine and Fleur had told her and always walked the corridors with someone else. She hadn't been to the library in weeks and was beginning to suffer withdrawal. Hermione knew that Dumbledore probably wouldn't do anything to her, but she also didn't trust him.

As she sat down for breakfast at the Gryffindor Table when she arrived back to the castle, she had to put up with looks and laughter from Ginny and Ron. She rolled her eyes and helped herself to a cup of tea, having already had a quick breakfast with Fleur.

"Grow up the pair of you," she scolded the Weasleys, only causing them to laugh even harder.

Harry for his part just smiled, but the brunette could tell from the twinkle in his eye that he was trying to stop himself from laughing.

"Morning Mione," said Harry, choosing instead to try and ignore the situation.

Before Hermione could responds a frightened looking third year approached them with a scroll clutched tightly in her hand. Harry took it with a muttered thank you, before unfurling it and quickly reading the contents. He glanced meaningfully at Hermione and Ron, but said nothing as Ginny was still sat with them, the occasional giggle escaping her mouth.

On their way out of the Hall, Harry quickly explained. "It's another letter from Dumbledore about a meeting. He wants me to meet him tonight."

"I wonder what you'll learn about this time?" said Ron.

"It could be another memory he wants to show you," suggested Hermione.

Despite how calm she appeared, the scroll had made her feel anxious. She wasn't sure what Dumbledore was up to, but it felt as if Harry was being dragged into something that should be left well alone.

"Dunno," replied Harry. "Guess I'll find out tonight."

There attention returned to breakfast, but as she went to grab an orange juice, Hermione noticed everyone whispering with worried looks on their faces. The more she gazed around the room, the more she realised everyone seemed to have the same expression and were looking over at the Gryffindor table.

"Er, have I missed something?" she finally asked the boys.

Harry and Ron looked around then shared a look.

"Yeah...um...you see...," stammered Ron.

"On the way back to the castle, we saw Katie Bell arguing with her friend," explained Harry in hushed tones. "We couldn't hear what they were saying exactly, only that Katie had something that her friend thought she should report, but Katie wasn't having any of it." He shared another look with Ron before continuing. "So then they started tugging on something and the next thing we know, Katie shoots up into the air and this terrible look on her face, like she's screaming in pain, but there's no sound. She hit the ground pretty hard when she fell."

"We ran out," Ron carried on, "but she was unconscious. That's when Harry noticed the package that had been dropped."

"It was that cursed necklace from Borgin and Burkes," interrupted Harry.

Hermione noticed that he had that manic look in his eyes and knew what was coming before he said it.

"It was Malfoy," he said with determination.

"Malfoy," repeated Hermione. Ron was looking in the opposite direction looking bored. He had obviously already heard this most recent development in Harry's 'Malfoy is a Death Eater' theory.

"I'm telling you he is. We saw him go into Borgin and Burke's when we followed him in Knockturn Alley. He must have purchased that necklace then. Remember he asked the guy to keep something for him. I'm betting it was that necklace. He must have somehow got Katie to take it."

Hermione tried to remain calm, for fear of Harry's reaction to her next question. "But why? What is the point of trying to smuggle it in?"

"It's obvious isn't it?" replied Harry. "He needed to get into the castle, but didn't want to do it himself in case he got caught."

The brunette took a deep breath to sooth her growing irritation. "But why try and get it in the castle in the first place? It makes no sense whatsoever."

"I'm sure of it," argued Harry. "Malfoy is a Death Eater."

"If you say so," replied Hermione, knowing there was no point arguing with him once he became fixated on an idea.

The rest of breakfast passed without further comment on the matter, something the brunette was grateful for. She had had a wonderful weekend with Fleur, but it was a reminder that no matter how much she tried to escape, Hogwarts was still an island under siege and it would only be a matter of time before the real storm hit.

They left the Hall together and parted ways on the stairs. Hermione went off to Ancient Runes and Harry and Ron returned to the Common Room, no doubt their homework was going to be sacrificed in favour of Wizards' Chess.

XXXXX

Harry's lesson with Dumbledore played on Hermione's mind for the rest of that day. Try as she might she couldn't figure out what the point of all these lessons was. She knew that it had something to do with defeating Voldemort, but she failed to understand what. Making a mental note to mention it to Fleur at the weekend, she turned her attention to her lessons, although not completely paying attention.

At dinner that night Harry bolted down his food as if it was going out of fashion. Ron and Hermione shared a concerned look, but said nothing. They returned to the Common Room after dinner and Harry was becoming increasingly annoying, at least to the brunette. She was trying to focus on her latest Potions essay about poisons, but Harry's leg was jiggling so much it was driving Hermione to distraction. She finally slammed a hand down on his leg to keep it still and gave the boy a look which plainly said "Stop that or lose it." As soon as the clock hit the time for his meeting, Harry practically ran from the room. He gave a quick goodbye and disappeared through the portrait hole.

"Someone's excited," said Ron, staring as Harry bolted out the Common Room. "Wish I could go along."

"Rather him than me," muttered Hermione, speaking without thinking.

It took a moment for her to process what she had said and she quickly looked at Ron to gauge his reaction. He looked back at her puzzled, but didn't say anything. The brunette was counting on his habit of not paying much attention to her, it wouldn't do for the boys to start questioning her opinion of the Headmaster.

"Come on, I'll help you with Snape's essay," she said, desperate to shift the Weasley's attention.

"You're amazing Mione," said Ron, grabbing parchment out of his bag.

Despite trying to help Ron and complete her own homework, the brunette's eyes kept flicking towards the clock. The hours crept by and there was still no sign of Harry. Every time the portrait hole opened, Hermione looked up eagerly expecting to see her dark-haired friend, but each time she was disappointed. Just when she was contemplating going to bed, the entrance to the Common Room opened once more and Harry clambered in. He had a very serious expression and seemed to be lost deep in thought. Sitting down in an armchair, the other two waited for him to speak. Hermione had even put her homework away the minute she saw him return.

"Well?" asked Ron, after several minutes of expectant silence.

Startled, as if he was unaware that his friends were there, Harry looked up. "It was another memory. This one showed a young Voldemort. He hadn't started Hogwarts yet, it was just before and Dumbledore went to see him at the orphanage he lived it." He paused, clearly struggling with words. "It was…strange, disconcerting to see him like that, Voldemort I mean. He was peculiar even then."

"What do you mean?" said Hermione, sharing a look with Ron.

Harry opened his mouth before closing it. He opened his mouth again. "He looked…bad. I'm not sure how to word it really. He just looked that way. Dumbledore was speaking to him and he just had this…well, I don't know what, but you should have seen his expression when he was told he was a wizard. He saw himself as special, almost as if he suddenly had had it confirmed that he was better than everyone else in that place, at least in his head. Then he started speaking about what he made animals do and the fact he could talk to snakes. Dumbledore got him to admit he stole things from the other children and kept them as some sort of trophy. The only memory was unnerving. It was Voldemort, except it wasn't."

"It's hard labelling a child as evil, yet qualities he has now were evident then," suggested Hermione.

Harry just nodded. It seemed the whole experience had had quite an effect on him and not in a good way. "It just felt…horrible. The woman that ran the orphanage said that he had done things to the other children too, but she didn't elaborate. It doesn't bear thinking about."

"What was the point in showing you that?" asked Ron.

"Dumbledore said that it showed Voldemort liked to keep trophies, things he thought were important. He said it also showed that he was proud of being a wizard, that he saw himself as special."

"Huh, a kid You Know Who. If that's not terrifying I don't know what is," said Ron, clearly trying to inject some humour into the conversation, but Harry was still struggling with what he saw to pay attention.

"I'm going to bed," announced Harry after a moment. "I just need to rest."

Hermione and Ron nodded. The brunette knew that he probably wouldn't get much sleep that night. Ron seemed to be of the same thinking.

"I'd better go too," he said. "You know, in case he has more nightmares. I can give him a shake. I do it whenever he wakes me up, not sure he knows it's me though."

The brunette nodded again and was left with her own thoughts. She worried what this fight against Voldemort would do to Harry, but she was pleased that Ron had clearly been looking after their friend a lot more than she had given him credit for. Folding up her Potions essay neatly, she slipped it into her nag, swung it onto her shoulder and headed to bed herself.

It was cold in her room and she shivered as she changed getting ready for bed. Going to the window to close the curtains, she glanced out over the grounds, deep in thought. Her eyes passed over the edge of the Forbidden Forest. It took her a moment to realise there was something in the tree line.

It was so dark that she couldn't make out what it was, all she saw were two floating purple orbs. The two lights disappeared briefly, before returning again in the exact same spot. Suddenly she realised they were eyes. Something or someone was standing in the treeline. Hermione was sure it was just paranoia, but it was almost as if they were watching. She shook her head, telling herself it was ridiculous. Gryffindor Tower was so high up in the castle it couldn't be possible, surely? Closing the curtains with a snap, Hermione no longer felt tired.

"It's my mind playing tricks on me," she muttered to herself.

Crossing to the bed, she grabbed Sabine's notebook of the stand and quickly opened it to the newest entry.

 _Hermione?_

 _ **Sorry I'm late. We waited up for Harry to come back from a private lesson with Dumbledore.**_

A moment later words appeared on the page and the brunette breathed a sigh of relief as she realised that Sabine hadn't disappeared again.

 _Dumbledore is giving Harry private lessons? Why?_

Hermione paused for a moment. She trusted Sabine, but with her current whereabouts likely to be with Aurelie, a supporter of Voldemort, it was probably not the best idea to reveal what was going on, regardless of the brunette's own feelings towards the Headmaster.

 _ **I can't say. He's just teaching Harry things that he needs to know.**_

She wondered if Sabine was going to be angry at her for refusing to answer, but she reasoned that the dark-haired Veela was also refusing to reveal certain things.

 _I understand, mon ami. How was your Hogsmeade visit? I saw you with Fleur, coming out of that restaurant. I'm sorry I couldn't stay longer._

 _ **It was really good thanks. We had a lovely time together. The restaurant is where Fleur took me for our first official date. We then met up with Harry and Ron before spending the rest of the weekend at the cottage.**_

 _Ergh, spare me the details of your lovers' weekend. I've thrown up a little bit in my mouth._

 _ **Ha ha you're hilarious. I will remember this when you find your mate and are all loved up.**_

 _Have you received any more letters from Guinevere?_

 _ **Not since the first one, no. I keep expecting her to write to me again. She did hint that she would be in contact again.**_

 _I wouldn't worry. Our sources tell us that she seems to have expected some sort of reaction from the Delacour leadership. Those same sources weren't sure why, but we can assume it was to do with the letter she sent to you. It seems she was relying on my cousin being more volatile than she was and causing a problem that would have strengthened Guinevere's claim. Be on your guard. Although her plan may not have worked this time, she will most likely try something else. Her leadership challenge, if you can call it that, has lost momentum. No one seems willing to listen to her anymore, which is good, but also means she is going to get desperate and a desperate Guinevere is a dangerous Guinevere._

 _ **You really think she'll try something else?**_

 _Don't worry. You're not wandering the corridors alone are you?_

 _ **No, I always have someone with me. I haven't been to the library either, mainly because Harry and Ron hate going there.**_

 _That must be really hurting you! I'm serious though, be with someone else the whole time. Guinevere might not be able to get to you, but we will have a real problem if Dumbledore is her ally like we suspect._

 _ **None of this is particularly reassuring.**_

 _Nothing will happen to you, Fleur won't let it and neither will I. I'm a lot closer than you think_

 _ **What do you mean? Where are you?**_

 _I have to go. We can talk more soon. Night._

Hermione growled in frustration and slammed the book shut. She threw it on to the bedside table and extinguished the lights with a flick of her wand. She still had an uneasy feeling, but she had to trust what Sabine said. Guinevere couldn't get to her right now.

XXXXX

Hermione groaned the following morning as she woke to her alarm. She had barely slept a wink and struggled to drag herself out of bed. Her thoughts drifted to the previous night and everything that Sabine had written. She still felt anxious, but knew there was no point getting herself worked up at this point. Hermione was reluctant to open her curtains after seeing the eyes the previous night, but wrenched them open and immediately looked at the same spot as the night before. In the light of day, she saw nothing and made a mental note to check the area later on the way to Herbology, just to give herself piece of mind.

Hurrying down the stairs to breakfast, she seated herself next to the two boys and grabbed some porridge. They didn't seem to notice the dark circles around the brunette's eyes. Ron was too focused on his food, as always, and Harry was just staring into his bowl of cornflakes. The memory Dumbledore had shown him seemed to be playing on his mind. They finished breakfast and immediately left to head down to Herbology.

"Do you mind if we take a quick walk by the Forest?" she asked the boys, who both looked at one another and shrugged.

"Err, sure, I guess. Why?" asked Ron.

"Nothing, I just thought I saw something last night and I want to check it out."

With the boys following on behind, Hermione led them down to the spot where she had seen the eyes the previous night. As she approached the tree line she breathed a sigh of relief and almost laughed out loud. Hanging from the lowest branch, level with her eye line, was what appeared to be a dream catcher of sorts. It had threads hanging down with feathers at the end and purple jewels attached to it, glinting as they reflected the sunlight.

"Mornin you lot," greeted a voice and they all turned to see Hagrid coming towards them. "Don't you have a lesson?"

"Morning Hagrid," said Harry, smiling slightly. "We do, but Mione wanted to come and see this…thing."

"Oh that," said Hagrid walking to stand next to Hermione. "That's just a form of Fairy trap."

"Fairy trap?" asked the brunette.

"Yep, they love sparkly things and those jewels entice the little blighters to come close, then this bit," he pointed at the circular part, which Hermione mistook for the dream catcher, "that bit catches them in a net, so you can then humanely release em elsewhere. They've been annoying little buggers lately, straying too far out of the forest and I don't want any of the less kind students getting their hands on em. I catch em you see and then take em deeper into the forest. It don't hurt em, I promise."

"Fascinating," said Hermione. Inwardly she felt that bubble of anxiety lift. It clearly had been her tired mind playing tricks on her the previous evening. "Right, well we best be off to Herbology."

"Righto, you best be gettin along. Don't wanna be late for Professor Sprout. I've got to prepare me lesson on Salamanders."

Hoping that there wouldn't be too many burns in his lesson, the trio bade him goodbye and headed towards the greenhouses, Hermione feeling a lot happier than she had when she woke up that morning.

The rest of the day passed without anything more eventful. The brunette laughed more freely and felt reassured by the morning's findings. Harry, however, was still not acting like his usual self. He wasn't laughing at Ron's ridiculous jokes, or paying attention in lessons. Admittedly the latter was normal behaviour in some lessons, but usually only because he was chatting to Ron. Today he was too engrossed in his own thoughts to even pay attention to his friend's attempts at distraction. Even though she was feeling a lot happier, Hermione still worried about Harry. He was off his food too, just chasing his casserole around his plate that evening.

Deciding to say something, she waited until they were seated comfortably around the fire in Gryffindor Common Room before broaching the subject.

"Are you alright, Harry? You've been quiet all day. Is it what happened last night?"

Harry took a moment to answer, staring into the flames as if he expected the words to appear from the fire.

"Yes. I just can't stop thinking about this young boy, who seemed so…wrong in a way. How did no one even realise that he was someone who should have been watched."

"He was just a child," answered Hermione. "Everyone deserves a chance, even young boys like Tom Riddle."

"But still," Harry muttered.

"Mione's right mate," interjected Ron. "It's not that we would usually agree and I can't stand the guy, but he deserved a chance in life to be someone different, he just chose wrong."

Harry sighed and threw some paper into the flames, watching it curl up and blacken. "Sorry, I guess these memories I watch are playing with my head."

"Why exactly is Dumbledore doing it exactly?" Hermione asked, curious as to whether the Headmaster had revealed any more.

"Not really," replied Harry. "He just says that's important for me to know these things."

"I get that, but it seems strange to me that he's trusting you and only you with this information." It was Hermione's turn to stare into the fire as she thought things over. "I mean, he has the entire Order at his disposal and now the Ministry. Surely there are other people he could show these things to. What does he expect you to do? Fight Voldemort on your own."

Harry looked at her and the brunette saw a flicker of irritation pass across his face. "I'm the Chosen One Mione. It's got to be me."

"But…but you don't believe that do you?" said Hermione shocked.

"It was in the Prophecy," shot back Harry, clearly beginning to get angry. "And Dumbledore said so too."

The brunette was wondering where this anger was coming from. Ron had taken to examining a mark on the table.

Taking a deep breath, Hermione continued, trying to remain as calm as possible. "Was it though, Harry? I mean, technically, it just said that 'neither can live while the other survives' and prophecies are open to interpretation. They don't always mean what you think they mean."

"What are you saying?" shouted Harry, standing up with a sudden rush.

"I'm saying that prophecies are more complex than you realise and Dumbledore isn't exactly the most trustworthy person around."

The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. The fact that Harry was once more making everything about him had irritated her. The whole Common Room was silent, just staring at what was transpiring by the fire.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" roared Harry.

"Harry, please calm down," pleaded the brunette. "This is not the place."

"No, this is the perfect place. Come on out with it."

Harry had that angry look in his eye, the one that said he wasn't going to let this drop. Deciding that the only thing to do was remove herself from the situation and wait until the morning to talk, Hermione grabbed her things and made to leave.

"That's it, run away," shouted Harry.

"We will talk in the morning, once we've had time to calm down," whispered the brunette, very aware of the Common Room listening intently.

"No, come on. You get involved with the Delacours and think you're above everyone else. That's it isn't it. You decide that you're so high and mighty now and just because they don't like a good man, you think the same thing and you're trying to turn me against you."

"What?" shouted Hermione.

"Don't lie. He told me you would try this. That the Delacours had it out for him. I didn't believe him, I thought there would be no way you would try it and here you are, saying that he's, what, up to no good. Get off your bloody high horse, Mione, it must be windy up there."

Hermione didn't know what to say, she just stared open-mouthed at what her friend had said. The anger was burning in his eyes and he was breathing heavily. Without a word, the brunette walked over to the portrait hole and left. Her Veela side was urging to go back and unleash on him, but she knew the only thing that would result in was a visit to the Hospital Wing.

Tears pricked at her eyes as she thought back over some of the things Harry had said to her. She had always had fights with Ron, ever since they had started at Hogwarts, but she'd never really had an argument like that with Harry. She didn't know where she was going to, all she knew was that she needed to get away.

Her legs burst into a run and before she knew it she was outside the castle, breathing in the fresh air. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve, but couldn't stop the tears from falling. She felt so alone. No Fleur to go to, no Sabine. She didn't want to go back to the Common Room, not yet at least. Reaching a rock by the edge of the Forest, she sat down and cried. Hermione didn't know how long she had sat there, but her body was numb with cold.

Standing up and wiping her eyes with her sleeve again, the brunette made to head back to the castle when she saw purple glinting in the moonlight. She was standing near the fairy trap she had looked at earlier. For a moment Hermione just watched as the jewels twisted and turned on the thread, captivated by how they seemed to dance in the night. Her gaze suddenly fixed on a shape just behind the purple gems. A figure shifted in the darkness, coming closer until they were stood right in front of Hermione.

"Well, well, well, imagine seeing you here, Miss Granger. We haven't been formally introduced. My name is Guinevere and I think it's time we had a chat."


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Hello everyone. Slightly later than planned, but I got the new Assassin's Creed game and I started playing it and got a bit distracted, so here I am now. I've tried to make up for it by writing what I think is the longest chapter for this story. It may be like it's jumping in time a little in places, but then I feel a lot of the sixth book did that, plus I'm so excited for the next couple of chapters so I'm eager to get there. I also want to let you know that I have edited the previous chapter at the beginning, just because I forgot to include something, so that is now slightly different. As always thank you for all your support with this story. I know I was absent for a ridiculously long time, but your follows, favourites, reviews and messages mean the world to me. Hope you enjoy this chapter. Disclaimer: All characters (except for Sabine and Guinevere) belong to J.K. Rowling**

"Well, well, well, imagine seeing you here, Miss Granger. We haven't been formally introduced. My name is Guinevere and I think it's time we had a chat."

Hermione took an involuntary step backwards. How stupid could she be? Fleur and Sabine had told her not to wander anywhere on her own.

Guinevere was certainly a formidable Veela. She was unnaturally tall, with dark hair, streaked with grey on one side. Her eyes were constantly flashing purple and they were void of any kindness. It was clear just from the look in her eye that this was a woman who hated every fibre of Hermione's being.

"You've got some nerve turning up here," said Hermione, sounding a lot braver than she felt.

"Oh," sneered Guinevere. "What exactly are you going to do about that my dear?"

The brunette's mind raced, processing everything. Why was Guinevere here? How did she get inside the grounds when they had so much protection? She decided to keep acting as if she wasn't scared and hoped that the older Veela couldn't pick up on it.

"You expect me to run crying to Fleur, don't you?"

Guinevere continued sneering at the brunette. "Frankly, my dear, I'm surprised you haven't run already."

"Why exactly would I run away from you?" asked Hermione. "I'm not scared of you."

"Mmmmm, perhaps you should be," suggested Guinevere, taking a step forward.

"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not going anywhere, you are." The brunette was shocked at the words coming out of her mouth, but felt an inner strength that she knew was coming from her Veela. She took a breath and reached out for her Veela, using it to guide her.

"I'm going?" Guinevere threw her head back and laughed. "I'm a high-ranking member of the most-respected Veela Coven in the world and you think you can scare me off."

"I'm of higher rank than you," snapped Hermione.

Guinevere looked shocked, her sneer slipping, but only for a moment. It was soon replaced with a look of pure fury and rage. "You out rank me?" she shrieked. "My bloodline stretches back over a millennium, you are just an add on."

"That maybe," replied the brunette, "but I still outrank you. So, I ask you again, why are you here?"

The older Veela was breathing heavily, clearly trying to compose herself. "I wanted to meet the girl who has decided to ruin my family."

"Me ruin your family? That's rich considering what you're trying," shouted Hermione. "You are the one who is attempting to destroy the Delacours."

"I am a Delacour," roared Guinevere, her composure finally slipping. "That throne belongs to me."

"Except no one wants you," yelled the brunette. "You've been trying to unsettle the Coven for ages, but you have never succeeded. Don't you think it's time you ask yourself why? You aren't getting power, because no one in the Coven likes you, or wants you as a leader. You tried to usurp Julienne by revealing everything about Aurelie, because that was you wasn't it? It probably would have worked, should have even, but it didn't because they knew you would be the result and they didn't want that. How does that feel, knowing that as much as people didn't like what Julienne had done, they hated you more."

"How dare you speak to me like that!" shrieked the older Veela, but Hermione stood her ground, staring the other woman down.

"Well, as you said earlier: What exactly are you going to do about it?" It was the brunette's turn to sneer. "I'm going to marry the heir to the Delacour Coven, that means I outrank you by quite some way. As I'm her intended, you can't lay a finger on me, not without incurring the wrath of the entire Coven and that might put a dent in your Veela Domination Plan. Which brings me back to my original question of why you are here. My guess is that you hoped by writing that letter, Fleur would go into a frenzy and attack you. Then you could claim she was unstable for leadership and try to usurp Julienne again, because what you were doing before wasn't working. Except Fleur didn't react in the way you hoped. Now you're here, again hoping I will tell Fleur, causing her to get angry and attack you. Well that tells me you're desperate. Whatever you're doing isn't working and probably will never work. With Aurelie you had a hope of claiming the Delacour leadership, but that hasn't worked and it's slipping through your fingers. Well this little plan of yours won't work either."

Hermione smirked at Guinevere, but felt it begin to slip when she saw that instead of looking angry or even shocked, the older Veela began to sneer once more with a dangerous glint in her eyes. What worried the brunette more is she began to laugh.

"You have no idea what is happening. Things are never what they seem." It was no more than a whisper, but the sinister tone left no room for confusion. "I'll be seeing you again Miss Granger and next time you will lose everything. Don't say I didn't warn you."

Before Hermione whipped her wand out automatically, but with a flash Guinevere had gone. She looked around frantically in case the older Veela tried anything, but she had disappeared. Hermione looked back to the castle and felt her blood run cold. Standing on the steps outside the oak front doors was a figure and there was no mistaking the silver beard shining in the moonlight. With a slight nod of the head, Dumbledore turned around and headed back inside the castle.

Without hesitation, Hermione sprinted. She didn't want to return to the castle, so instead headed for the next best place. Skidding to a halt she hammered on the door of Hagrid's cabin. He opened the door looking alarmed, but one look at the brunette's frightened face and he immediately stepped aside to let her in.

"Mione, you alright?" asked the friendly half-giant. He grabbed a nearby blanket and draped it around her shoulders. She was shaking, but not from the cold.

"Thanks Hagrid," said Hermione, smiling weakly. "I went out for a run and something spooked me."

"You know better than to be out of the castle after dark," scolded Hagrid. "Haven't the past five years taught you anything?"

"I know, I know, I just had an argument with Harry and needed to get away," she explained.

"An argument?" Hagrid raised an eyebrow. "What you and Harry fighting about? Usually you and Ron."

Hermione bit her lip. "Harry just…he said that Dumbledore said that I would be different…now I'm with the Delacours, whatever that means," replied the brunette.

"What?" said Hagrid, clearly confused. "Dumbledore wouldn't a said that. Harry must have got confused by what he meant."

The brunette nodded. It wasn't worth raising her suspicions of the Headmaster with Hagrid, he was fiercely loyal and wouldn't achieve anything.

"Do you mind taking me back to Gryffindor Tower?" she asked.

"Course I don't mind."

Making sure the blanket was still wrapped around her, Hagrid called to Fang and the three of them left the cabin and went up to the castle. Hermione half-expected to meet Dumbledore around every corner and felt more on edge than she had done in quite some time. It wasn't until Hagrid had bade her goodnight at the portrait hole and she was safely tucked up in bed that she finally felt safe. She knew sleep wouldn't come easy and when she finally succumbed to her exhaustion her dreams were fevered and full of purple flashing eyes shining at her in the darkness.

The following morning her head hurt and she felt sick. The previous night's events had shaken her even if she had sounded brave throughout her entire conversation with Guinevere. She longed to write to Sabine and Fleur to tell them about her late-night visitor, but knew that that would play right into the evil Veela's hands. Deciding to wait until the weekend to explain to her girlfriend, she got ready for the day ahead.

Hermione was dreading going down to breakfast. The thoughts of bumping into Harry was enough to make her run to the bathroom for fear of being sick. With great reluctance she trod the familiar path down to the Great Hall and felt relief when she saw he wasn't there yet and neither was Ron. Seating herself next to Neville, she reached for some tea, knowing her appetite was ruined once more.

"Morning Mione," murmured a voice above her, causing her to spill her tea.

Looking up she saw an exhausted looking Harry and a wary Ron. She said nothing, just returned her attention to the morning paper. Harry sat down next to her and the brunette had to fight the urge to swat him with the Prophet.

"I'm sorry Mione, I don't know what came over me last night," explained Harry.

She didn't look at him, instead focusing on an article about the dangers of self-tying shoelaces.

"I mean it, I don't know why I said the things I said. I immediately regretted everything, please talk to me," pleaded Harry.

Taking a deep breath, she finally turned to face him. "Fine, I accept your apology, but if you ever speak to me like that again, I will ensure that you regret it more than you currently do. I have always stood by you, even when you drag us all off on some ridiculous mission to the Ministry. I have followed you and supported you through everything and I do not deserve the disrespect you showed me last night." Harry looked ashamed and the brunette found she felt no guilt over it. She got up to leave, but turned looked down at Harry. "Oh, one more thing, I don't want to hear another word about this Malfoy is a Death Eater business. You spent all of first year convinced that Snape was Voldemort's spy only to find that was wrong, so until there is proof beyond any doubt just lay off."

Without another word she marched towards the doors to the Entrance Hall, people staring as she walked by. Something made her stop as she reached the doors and looking back she saw Dumbledore watching her closely over the top of his goblet. Remembering all the worry and anxiety that he and Guinevere had caused her made Hermione realise that enough was enough. She was done being the scared little girl who ran to Fleur and Sabine for support. She was Hermione Granger and no one was going to cause her to feel that way. Shooting Dumbledore a defiant smirk, she turned and left the Hall feeling a certain amount of pride at the flicker of shock which crossed the old man's face.

XXXXX

Hermione had been right to wait until the weekend to tell Fleur. As soon as the blonde heard about Guinevere's trip to Hogwarts the coffee table was once more shattered. The brunette even had to grab Fleur as she made to go out the door to confront Dumbledore and hunt down Guinevere.

"Seriously Fleur, this is not helping," yelled Hermione, as she hung on to Fleur's shoulders. "This reaction is exactly what that bitch wanted and if you do anything then we are doing what she wants and I refuse to let that happen."

"She can't come and do this and expect to get away with it," roared Fleur, blasting a hole in the wall. "As for that Dumbledore…"

When she made to throw another curse at the opposite wall Hermione wrenched the blonde's wand out of her hand and threw it across the room.

"You need to calm down," said Hermione, grasping Fleur's face in her hands. "We need to play this smarter than them. Dumbledore and Guinevere are working together. He wants to remove the Delacours as a problem and Guinevere wants to be in charge. They both get what they want if they work together and succeed. We need to be better."

Calmer, but still breathing heavily, Fleur stopped trying to get to her wand to blow something up. "What do you suggest?"

Relieved that she seemed to have calmed her lover down, Hermione sat on the couch and tugged gently on the blonde's hand so she would join her.

"We are going to tell the Coven exactly what Guinevere has done. They won't do anything about it, but it will also show her that we aren't so easily scared."

"But what if she tries something else, something more serious?" asked Fleur, grabbing the brunette's hands and squeezing tightly.

"Then we will face that when the time comes. Worrying only means you suffer twice," said Hermione. "There's no point worrying about whether they are going to do something until they do it."

She didn't look convinced, but Fleur seemed to have calmed down enough. "I won't let anything happen to you, I would never forgive myself."

"I know," murmured Hermione, tucking her head into the blonde's shoulder.

"That's all your news?"

The brunette hesitated. News hadn't reached France of what had transpired during the last Hogsmeade visit.

"Er, not exactly," said Hermione, realising she needed to tell her girlfriend as she'd find out about it eventually. She took a deep breath. "Katie Bell was…attacked, sort of, on her way back to school after the last Hogsmeade weekend."

"What?"

Hermione explained everything that the boys had told her and the blonde looked more and more worried with every word. Once more the brunette neglected to tell her girlfriend about the surprise visit from Sabine in the Three Broomsticks.

"So, what, her skin brushed against the necklace and then she ended up in St. Mungo's?" asked Fleur. "How's Katie doing?"

Hermione shook her head. "We don't know. The last anyone heard was that she was in the hospital and was being treated. She's okay so far as I know because only a small part of her skin touched the necklace. She was incredibly lucky."

"I'll say," agreed Fleur. "The question is, who was the necklace intended for? You said the boys told you that Katie's friend told them Katie had said she was delivering it, but who to?"

Hermione bit her lip, a growing habit lately. "We don't know, she never said. Harry reckons it was Malfoy who told Katie to deliver it, but I don't think it was. I can't explain, but I just know something else is going on here, we just can't see what."

"Whoever it is, they're playing a dangerous game."

The brunette couldn't help but agree and worried that it was only a matter of time before someone got seriously hurt.

XXXXX

School slowly began to return to normal in the wake of the shocking incident with Katie. What concerned Hermione more was the fact that Dumbledore seemed to be missing more and more. Over the next few weeks the Headmaster's absence from the top table during mealtimes was noticeable. His grand chair was left vacant and rumours were flying around the hallways as to what he as up to. The brunette made a point of passing this information along to Fleur, but neglected to tell Sabine whenever they had a conversation using the book.

Sabine was going longer and longer in between contacting Hermione and the brunette was beginning to get worried about what was going on. The dark-haired Veela's responses had lost their usual humour and the conversations were usually shorter. Sabine always gave the excuse that Aurelie was coming or calling for her and promptly left, but it had been nearly two weeks since they had last spoken and Hermione was concerned. She had left several messages but they had all remained unanswered.

Christmas was fast approaching now and with it came the usual growing excitement. Slughorn was hosting his famous Christmas party for the Slug Club and Hermione had found herself receiving an invite, along with Harry. Ron had been ignored and was more irritable than ever at the snub. Students that had not been invited were clamouring to be the guests' plus ones and Hermione had found herself receiving more than a few offers from various people, most she had never even spoken to.

"Who do you reckon you are going to bring?" asked Harry. He had received more offers than any other guest and was finding it all rather awkward.

"There's only one person I want to go with and that's not possible," replied Hermione.

Fleur had done as the brunette had suggested and told the Coven everything that Guinevere had done. They were furious with the methods the Veela villain had used and were supporting Julienne and Fleur even more. Taking advantage of this sudden shift in support, the blonde had remained in France for the last few weekends and Hermione was missing her lover desperately. Still, she only had to get through the last week of lessons and Slughorn's party and then she would be on her way back to France to be reunited with Fleur.

"She'd be here if she could," said Ron, trying to sound reassuring.

"Thanks Ron," replied the brunette, smiling at his attempts to cheer her up. "What about you Harry? Who are you going to ask?"

Harry pulled a face. "I haven't got a clue. I would have asked this idiot," he gestured at Ron, "but he's too loved up to want to leave Lavender. I guess I'll think of someone."

"You could always ask Luna," suggested Hermione. When the boys looked shocked she rolled her eyes. "It would be a nice thing to do. She really enjoyed the DA last year and now we don't do it anymore, I think she feels a bit lonely. Ginny hangs out with her, but it would be nice for her."

Ron laughed, but the sound was stifled when Lavender descended upon them and covered his mouth with hers. Feeling slightly nauseated at the sight, Harry and Hermione both shifted away.

"Well?" Hermione looked at Harry.

"I guess I could," he mumbled.

Sure enough the news soon went around Hogwarts that Harry Potter was going to Slughorn's party with Luna Lovegood and Hermione couldn't help but feel pleased, especially when she saw how excited the blonde girl looked.

The night of the party Harry and Hermione bade Ron goodnight as he headed down to dinner. All those students who were attending the party were being fed there. The brunette rushed upstairs and frantically began to get ready. She hadn't bothered asking anyone to go with her to the party and was quite looking forward to spending the evening having fun with Harry and Luna. Well, as much fun as she could have with the absence of Fleur.

She met Harry back in the Common Room and laughed as he stared at her with his mouth wide open.

"I'll take that gawping as a compliment," she joked.

Harry blushed and mumbled something she couldn't hear.

Leaving the Common Room, they headed down to the Entrance Hall where they were meeting Luna. She was dressed far more traditionally than expected, at least choosing to leave the radish earrings in her jewellery box. Harry and Hermione made to head to the dungeon, but stopped when they noticed Luna wasn't following.

"Er, Luna? The party is in the dungeons," said Harry, sharing a look with Hermione.

"Oh, I know that," replied Luna in her usual dreamy voice. "We are just waiting for one more."

Again, the two friends shared a look.

"Erm, I'm not taking anyone, Luna. It's just us going," said Hermione.

"Well what about me then, ma belle."

Spinning around, the brunette was greeted by the sight of Fleur wearing an elegant navy-blue dress which seemed to twinkle with real diamonds.

"Fleur!" shouted Hermione, running and launching herself into the blonde's arms.

"You didn't think I would let you go to this party on your own?" laughed Fleur, wrapping her arms tightly around her girlfriend.

"But how…how did you know?"

The blonde smiled and kissed her. Hermione felt like she was melting and for a moment time stopped as they revelled in the feeling of being near one another again.

"McGonagall told me about the party," explained Fleur. "She thought it might be nice for me to attend with you, so here I am."

Making a mental note to thank her Professor profusely, Hermione grabbed the blonde's arm.

"Well on to the party then," said the brunette.

Hermione was amazed when they finally made it to Slughorn's office where the party was being held. He must have magically expanded it, because there was no way it was actually this large. The whole place was decorated for Christmas and as she gazed around the brunette saw a number of students she knew, but also a few famous faces she recognised from the Daily Prophet and the gossip magazine Ginny used to read.

There were trays of food floating around the room and separate trays balancing all different types of drinks. Reaching for one glass she nearly spat out the contents when she drank it and tasted alcohol.

"Surely that shouldn't be allowed," she muttered, placing the half empty glass on a nearby table.

"Your Professor doesn't strike me as a man who follows the rules," laughed Fleur, reaching for another drink. "Try this one."

The couple helped themselves to food and laughed with Harry and Luna as they all tried to guess what each conversation in the room was about. Hermione was shocked that Slughorn hadn't come over yet, but no sooner had the thought crossed her mind then he appeared at Harry's shoulder.

"Harry, m'boy, good to see you, good to see you," greeted the Potions Master in his booming voice. "And who is this delightful young lady you've brought with you?"

Slughorn was introduced to Luna and shook her hand politely. It was then that he gazed up, saw Hermione and then saw Fleur. The brunette could literally see his eyes popping out of his head, but he did his best to remain calm and be polite to Luna first. When he was done playing the gracious host, he turned his attention to the couple.

"Ah Miss Granger, so lovely that you've come and this must be Mademoiselle Delacour?" Fleur nodded and shook the offered hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you Miss Delacour. I'm so glad you could join us. Would you come and meet some friends of mine?"

He gestured towards a small group of people and Hermione tensed. Although she had been happy to attend the party, Slughorn had a reputation for making connections and Hermione had no desire to spend the evening learning about all the friends in high places that Slughorn had, or allowing Fleur to become one of them. She needn't have worried though.

"I would love to Monsieur, but alas I have promised Hermione a dance."

Hermione noticed that the blonde's French accent had become noticeably thicker. She had to bite her tongue to stop herself from laughing. With a respectful bow to Slughorn, Fleur grabbed the brunette by the hand and led her over to the dance floor.

"Wow, just wow," laughed Hermione.

The blonde said nothing, merely smiled and winked. She placed a hand delicately on her girlfriend's hip and grabbed Hermione's hand. The brunette immediately placed a hand on Fleur's shoulder and gazed lovingly into her girlfriend's eyes.

Hermione was never usually one for dancing, but every since she had met the blonde, she found herself enjoying it more and more. It was during the third song that they heard a commotion and saw Filch dragging Malfoy into the room. Everyone stopped and stared at the intrusion and the brunette saw Slughorn fix a nervous smile on his face.

"Why Mr Filch. Everything alright?" asked the Potions Master.

"I caught this one sneaking around outside," explained the caretaker, giving Malfoy a hard shake. "He said that he had an invitation to attend this party."

Hermione looked over at Harry, but his gaze was flicking between Malfoy and Snape. It was only then that the brunette realised that the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor was there too. He looked absolutely furious with Malfoy, but what worried her was the look in Harry's eyes. Her attention was swiftly brought back to Malfoy as he wrenched himself out of Filch's grasp.

"Alright, alright," he growled. "I wasn't invited to this party, I was just trying to crash it."

"Hah, think you can pull one over on me, do you?" sneered the caretaker. "Well a nice long detention might teach not to lie."

"Now, now, Mr Filch," interrupted Slughorn. "There's no need for all that, it is Christmas after all. Let the young man stay." Filch scowled at the Professor, but dare not argue. Throwing Malfoy one last look, the caretaker stalked away with Mrs Norris at his feet. Slughorn turned his attention to Malfoy "It turns out I did know your grandfather…"

Hermione zoned out of the conversation, her attention was now solely fixed on Harry. She nudged Fleur and nodded in his direction as he muttered something to Luna. Turning to see what he was looking at, she saw Snape grab Malfoy by the arm and lead him away. Harry was too quick and disappeared into the crowd.

"Come on," said Hermione. "Let's follow him before he does something stupid."

The blonde nodded in agreement and together they slipped out of the party. It didn't take them long to find Harry. He was crouched outside a door clearly listening to whatever conversation was taking place inside between Snape and Malfoy. Thanks to their Veela hearing, Hermione and Fleur could hear everything perfectly.

"For the last time," they heard Malfoy say, "I don't know what you are talking about. I have no idea what happened to that Bell girl, I had nothing to do with it."

"There is no need to lie to me Draco," said Snape. "I know exactly what is going on. Trust me, I can help you."

"Help me with what?" demanded Malfoy.

"Come now Draco." They didn't need to see it to know that Snape was sneering. "I have been entrusted with the information. I know what you're up to and I am here to help."

"I haven't got a clue what you're on about," shouted Malfoy, sounding confused. "I'm not up to anything. I don't know what information you've been given, but it's clearly wrong."

"Fine, be like that, but just know that your actions up until now have been foolish. You have to be smarter than you have been so far."

"That would be wonderful advice, if only I actually knew what you were going on about."

They heard footsteps approaching from the other side of the door and both Hermione and Fleur grabbed hold of Harry's collar and yanked him away. Luckily there was an alcove nearby where they could hide. Flattening themselves into the shadows, the trio held their breath as Malfoy stormed past looking incredibly bewildered, followed by Snape who just looked angry. When they were sure the pair had gone Hermione, Fleur and Harry stepped out.

"I knew it!" said Harry, punching the air. "Malfoy is up to something."

"Is he?" asked Hermione.

Harry turned to look at her. "You can't be serious? Didn't you just hear that? Snape said that Malfoy had been up to something, this proves what I've been saying all along."

"No, it doesn't Harry," replied the brunette. "If anything it makes Malfoy look more innocent."

"What? You heard Snape…"

"Yes, I heard Snape," said Hermione, holding up a hand as Harry opened his mouth to speak. "I heard Snape and I heard Malfoy. Draco didn't have a clue what Snape was talking about. He sounded confused and he looked it too when he came out of the room. He doesn't know what Snape is referring too. He's not that good an actor and he didn't know that we were outside listening."

"That means nothing," argued Harry. "He probably lied to Snape because he doesn't want his help."

"Then why look so confused when he walked past just now," interjected Fleur. "We saw his face, that was a look of pure confusion. I'm sorry Harry, but Hermione is right. There is no proof that he's up to anything. That's not to say something isn't happening, clearly it is if Snape says there is something going on, but whoever is doing it, is not Malfoy. Someone else is behind it all."

"Fine, don't believe me," growled Harry. "I know I'm right."

Without another word he turned on his heel and stormed off.

"That boy can be incredibly frustrating," said Fleur.

"You have no idea," replied Hermione, shaking her head. "Come on, you owe me another dance."


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Please don't shoot me, although you are probably entitled to. I'm sorry for my disappearing act. I suddenly took on my new job role full time and it meant I had no free time whatsoever to continue this story. But summer holidays are here, which means that over the next six weeks (just under) this story will be finished! I have already got chapter 14 typed up and ready to go, so as soon as I've uploaded this chapter, the next will follow. I have a clear view on where this story is no going, which I didn't have before exactly and that is helping me plan ideas for the sequel. I promise you that I am going to finish everything I write and if I do disappear it doesn't mean I'm gone forever, just on a break. I really hope you enjoy this chapter. As always thank you so much for all the support you have given me whether that is with reviews, favourites, follows or PMs, it does mean an awful lot to know that you enjoy this series. So strap yourselves because this story is not over yet. Disclaimer: All characters (except for Sabine and Aurelie) belong to J.K. Rowling.**

Hermione didn't get a chance to speak to Harry the following day about what they had overheard between Malfoy and Snape. She was leaving first thing with fleur from the fireplace in the cottage and had returned there straight after the party, all the better to leave without students seeing her slip out of the castle before everyone else left.

The brunette was once more heading to the Delacours for Christmas and was feeling incredibly excited at the prospect. She was slightly apprehensive about how the Coven would be, after all the drama with Guinevere and Aurelie, but Fleur reassured her that things with the family had settled down.

"Relax, ma belle," said Fleur when Hermione brought it up. "Guinevere's latest trick hasn't earned her any favours and none's heard anything from Aurelie either."

Hermione wasn't altogether comforted by this. She still hadn't heard anything from Sabine and the dark-haired Veela's continued silence was causing her more and more anxiety.

The snow was thick on the ground outside when they flooed to the Delacour estate and thick flakes were falling mesmerizingly outside the window.

"Hermione," shouted a voice and the brunette was immediately swept up into a hug.

"Merry Christmas Monsieur Delacour," greeted Hermione, thrilled to see Fleur's father again.

"Armand, please. How many times must I ask?" he said, with that twinkle in his eyes.

Apolline also gave Hermione a warm hug. "Your parents weren't able to make it this year?"

The brunette shook her head. "No, I'm afraid not. They've gone to visit my Aunt in Canada."

"Well, they are always welcome here," said Apolline with a smile, turning to greet her eldest daughter.

"Where's Grandmere and the others?" asked Fleur.

Apolline smiled again. "They are in the drawing room. We thought having everyone here as a welcoming part when you had just arrived, and at this time in the morning, might be a tad overwhelming."

The blonde visibly relaxed. "Thank goodness. I was concerned something had happened."

The four of them moved to join the rest of the family and Hermione soon found herself wrapped up in more hugs by all Fleur's cousins and aunts. The last to greet her was Julienne, who gave Hermione an added squeeze. Once everyone had settled comfortably, the brunette turned to face the Delacour matriarch.

"I know what I'm about to ask is abrupt," started Hermione, "but has there been any word about Sabine?"

The family all exchanged worried looks and shook their heads.

"I'm afraid not, no," replied Julienne. "No one has heard from her since she disappeared."

Hermione bit her lip. Here was an opportunity to admit she had been talking with Sabine through the diary...but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She reasoned that Sabine had made her promise not to say anything and had told her things were fine, but that didn't stop the squirms of guilt. Calming herself, so as not to alert Fleur to how she was feeling, Hermione changed the topic of conversation.

"So, where's Gabrielle?"

The atmosphere relaxed, as Apolline explained that her youngest daughter was attending a special Quidditch training for talented youngsters for a few more days, but Hermione was only half-listening. She was still too distracted by thoughts of Sabine.

XXXXX

That evening, whilst Fleur was in the shower getting ready for dinner, Hermione hastily checked the diary to see if there was any word from Sabine. Her heart, so full of hope every time she opened the cover, sank as she saw only her frantic messages, pleading with Sabine to answer.

"What's wrong, ma belle?" asked Fleur, emerging from the bathroom in a towel.

The brunette hadn't heard her come in and gave a startled squeak. Luckily she was facing away from Fleur, so she was able to subtly slide the diary out of sight without her lover seeing.

"Nothing," lied Hermione. "I'm just worried about Sabine."

A grim expression passed over the blonde's face. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but shut it again and shook her head. It was clear from her anguished expression that Fleur was also worried about her cousin, despite all the conflict between them in the past.

Hermione stood up, taking care not to dislodge the diary from where she had hidden it, and walked over to the blonde. She placed a reassuring kiss against Fleur's lips.

"She'll be okay," murmured the brunette, knowing she was saying that to herself as much as Fleur.

With no more comment about Sabine the two lovers dressed for dinner and, with another kiss, left to join the family.

Dinner was, as always, an enjoyable occasion and Hermione found herself laughing more than she had done in months. She forgot about the arguments with Harry, her concerns about Guinevere and Dumbledore and for a time even thoughts of Sabine were pushed to the back of her mind. It was only after dinner, when everyone was enjoying drinks in the drawing room, that the Hermione chanced asking about Guinevere.

"What has happened with Guinevere since she came to Hogwarts?"

Apolline's lips went into a thin line, reminding the brunette strongly of McGonagall.

"She's gone quiet," replied Valentine. "Ever since Fleur told the Coven about that trick she pulled no one has heard a thing from her."

"It remains to be seen whether that is a good or bad thing," interjected Apolline. "On the one hand she may have given up and retired to lick her wounds, but knowing that chienne she will just go back to the drawing board."

"The main thing is the entire Coven is now aware of what Guinevere is doing," said Julienne. "She won't be able to challenge for leadership and win. She will have to try something else."

"That makes her sound more dangerous," said Hermione, wondering what measures the purple-eyed Veela would resort to.

Apolline shook her head. "She has no allies, so there isn't much she can do."

"What about Dumbledore?" suggested the brunette.

"He is too busy trying to stop Voldemort," Julienne answered. "If there was no Voldemort, no doubt he would support Guinevere, but openly doing so would cause him more harm than good. It's to his advantage to use her to attempt to destabilise us, but coming out and clearly supporting her will being him more enemies than friends."

"In short, he's using her for as long as it suits him," explained Apolline. "When she is of no further help to him, he will drop her, if he hasn't done so already."

Hermione felt slightly reassured by this, but the threat still lingered.

"It has settled for now, ma belle," murmured Fleur. "Let's just enjoy the peace whilst it lasts."

Nodding in agreement, the brunette kissed her girlfriend on the cheek and then rolled her eyes as Camille and Valentine wolf-whistled.

It was late by the time Hermione and Fleur made it up to bed. The blonde quickly undressed and collapsed on the bed, falling asleep within moments.

The brunette smiled to herself as she watched the peaceful expression on her lover's face. It was clear the blonde had been feeling a lot more stressed than she let on. Tucking Fleur in carefully, the brunette moved around the bed and undressed. She slipped in next to Fleur and with a quick glance to check her girlfriend really was asleep, she summoned the diary from where she has hidden it. There was still no message.

For the first time in a long time Hermione felt a surge of anger towards Sabine for leaving her hanging like this. Hermione opened up the bedside table drawer and threw the diary in with all the rage she could muster. Fleur stirred for a moment before settling down and wrapping her arms around the brunette. Hermione already knew sleep would not come easy for her.

XXXXX

Hermione didn't bother looking in the diary again. The following morning she decided to bury it away in the bottom of her trunk and not open it again until she was back at Hogwarts.

The next few days were spent preparing for Christmas. Hermione loved spending time with the Delacours and decorating the house ready for the Christmas Ball and threw herself into it with gusto, partly as a way of distracting her from her anger aimed at Sabine. She had already been taken aside by Apolline in order to reassure her that this year Guinevere had been uninvited. It was a relief to know that her holiday time with Fleur wouldn't be ruined.

XXXXX

Christmas morning started with a rather enjoyable awakening. Hermione stirred to the feel of Fleur's mouth sucking on her clitoris. The brunette tangled her fingers in the blonde's hair as her lover hit the sweet spot again and again. With a shout, Hermione came and felt her body go rigid as wave after wave of pleasure washed over her.

When she came down from her high she saw a rather smug Fleur gazing at her.

"Joyeux Noel, ma belle."

Hermione was still breathing heavily, but brought Fleur down for an open-mouthed kiss. The brunette moaned again as she tasted herself on her lover's lips.

Before Hermione could return the favour, their bedroom door slammed open and Gabrielle came in, followed by Valentine.

"You owe me 5 galleons," shouted Gabrielle to her cousin.

Valentine scowled. "They aren't having sex, therefore you owe me, little cousin."

"Excuse me," shouted Hermione, a look of mock indignation on her face. "One, you should knock before coming in, two, are you actually betting on our sex life? And three, Merry Christmas to you too."

Valentine and Gabrielle just grinned.

"To answer you," replied the former. "It wasn't me that stormed in, yes we do bet on your sex life and Merry Christmas. Now restrain yourselves and come join the rest of your family. We're all waiting for you love birds to join us."

"You can have sexy time later," said Gabrielle, who giggled as her sister threw a pillow at her.

Fleur was scowling, no doubt owing to the lack of sexual release. Realising the mood her cousin was in, Valentine grabbed Gabrielle, winked and hurried out the door, dragging her young cousin behind her.

Hermione kissed Fleur again. "Come on, love. Before your mum comes up. I'd rather her not catch us with me screaming your name."

They managed to get dressed after only getting distracted a few times and when they walked into the drawing room, Hermione blushed as the whole family looked rather knowingly at them.

"It's present time, finally," squealed Gabrielle and she immediately started handing out presents.

The family took it in turns unwrapping gifts and Hermione loved how close the family was after the struggles in the summer. When thoughts of Sabine popped into her head the brunette pushed them away with a slight feeling of irritation.

"My present now, my love," said Hermione, handing it to Fleur.

It seemed to be an envelope and the blonde looked at her lover intrigued. Hermione gave nothing away. Tearing into it carefully, Fleur tipped the envelope up and some pictures fell into her hand. Looking at them the blonde saw the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre Dame and a random building. Puzzled Fleur looked at her girlfriend.

"I've organised a trip to Paris for the two of us for the last week of the holiday," explained Hermione. "You are always spoiling me with romantic meals and moments, that I thought it was my turn to spoil you."

Fleur threw herself at Hermione and kissed her.

"Whoa, steady on," laughed Camille, but the two lovers ignored her.

"I take it you like it then?" laughed Hermione.

"I love it," replied Fleur.

"Can we got eat now?" asked Gabrielle. Now all the presents were opened she had lost interest and wanted feeding.

The family all laughed.

"Yes, little one, let's go," said Armand, giving his youngest daughter a piggy back into the dining room.

Hermione felt stuffed by the time they had finished eating and was just considering excusing herself for an afternoon nap when Armand came over.

"Ah, Hermione, I was wondering if we could have a little chat?"

The brunette nodded and her curiosity was piqued as he led her out of the dining room to the library. He shut the door behind them and gestured to two armchairs.

"I hope you don't mind me taking you away from the family, but I wanted to give you your presents."

"But, you gave them to me this morning," replied Hermione, remembering the books she'd unwrapped from Armand and Apolline.

He shook his head. "These are two more and before you say I shouldn't have, consider them a thank you gift. My daughter has never been happier than when she is with you. When she was growing up I found myself constantly worrying about who her mate might be. I worried that she would be to head strong and wouldn't find happiness, but I needn't have worried. You bring out the best in her and love every part of her. So I wanted to give you these two things."

From his pocket he brought out a small box and a square package, which he brought back to its original size with a wave of his wand.

"Open this one first," he gestured to the small box.

Curious, Hermione opened it and saw a key inside.

"It's the key to an apartment in Paris," he explained. "When I first started seeing Apolline it was sometimes a struggle to find any privacy around this estate. This apartment can provide you and Fleur with an escape. It's been in my family for generations and was given to me by my mother. Now I give it to you."

"But...but..." Hermione began to protest, but Armand held up a hand.

"No, no it's quite alright. I've been meaning to give it to you, but with all the drama going on there was never a good time."

"Thank you Armand," said Hermione, hugging the man who had become like a second father to her.

"You are most welcome," he replied. "Now this second one is a bit premature, but I confess I'm too excited to wait any longer."

He gestured for the brunette to open the other package, which she did. The brunette gasped as she tore the paper off. It was a portrait of Hermione and Fleur. It was beautifully done and if it wasn't for the brush strokes she could see on the canvas, the brunette would have thought it a picture.

"It's tradition in my family, when a couple gets married, for a portrait to be commissioned. I found myself too excited, as I've said, so I've done it as a result of you accepting the promise ring. I have something else planned instead for your marriage."

Hermione didn't know what to say. Her fingers passed delicately over the intricate details of Fleur's face in the painting and she felt tears in her eyes. Looking at Armand she knew he didn't have to say anything. He was well aware how much this painting meant to her.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Just like I promised, here is the next chapter. It is swelteringly hot here, so having a laptop on my lap is the most uncomfortable thing ever! Us Brits and our obsession with the weather! I hope you all enjoy this chapter, because it was one I was eager to get to. I am just going to go and throw myself in an ice bath and I will get started on the next chapter. I hope to have it out very soon. Thank you for all the support you give me, in whatever form that may take and I hope you enjoy this next instalment. Disclaimer: All characters (except for Sabine and Aurelie) belong to J.K. Rowling.**

After leaving Armand in the library, and with tears of gratitude in her eyes, Hermione took the gifts carefully up to the room she shared with Fleur.

The blonde was already waiting for her and looked with curiosity at the packages Hermione carried.

"What are those, ma belle?" asked Fleur, gesturing at the two things the brunette was carrying.

"Your dad just gave them to me," explained Hermione.

Placing the items delicately upon the bed, she showed Fleur the painting and then the key to the apartment. The blonde's mouth opened in surprise when the latter was explained, her features quickly transforming into a smile.

"We will visit it when we go next week," suggested Fleur. "We can either hang the portrait there, or take it with is back to the cottage in Hogsmeade?"

Hermione thought for a moment. "The cottage for now. That is our home, so the portrait can be there with us."

Both lovers smiled at the words 'our home' loving how it sounded so right.

"Bien. Then that is what we will do," agreed Fleur. "You know, ma belle, that painting is beautiful, but you are far more beautiful in person."

Before Hermione could respond she found herself moaning as the blonde pressed their lips together. She couldn't resist her lover and quickly found herself deepening the kiss, not that Fleur was complaining. They soon lost themselves in the kiss and Hermione felt the backs of her legs hit their bed, before falling and taking Fleur with her. Suddenly they were all hands and mouths and they began stripping one another of garments, which were the barriers to skin.

The door slammed open abruptly and the two lovers jumped apart. Thankfully they still had underwear on, but that didn't stop Hermione from turning a furious red that would put the Weasley's to shame.

Valentine was stood in the doorway with a big grin on her face.

"I can see you two are getting ready for the ball."

Fleur growled and marched over to the door. Giving her cousin an unceremonious shove, the blonde slammed the door shut.

"Can't wait to get to that damn apartment," muttered Fleur, scowling.

Hermione walked over, still in her underwear, and wrapped her hands around the blonde's neck.

"Neither can I. Just think, we could be naked the whole time."

Fleur's eyes flashed with desire and she crashed her lips against the brunette's. "You won't be able to walk straight once I am done with you." Her voice was dripping with desire.

Before they could pick up where they had left off, after the rude interruption, there was a shout from downstairs.

"Oi, Ball!"

Fleur scowled again at her cousin, causing Hermione to giggle.

"Come on love, " murmured the brunette. "The quicker we get ready for the Ball, the quicker we can be done with it and be back up here. I want to ache tomorrow morning."

With a playful wink, Hermione walked into the bathroom, laughing as Fleur ran after her.

XXXXX

Once she had emerged from the bathroom, with a very sexually frustrated Fleur, Hermione waited for her lover to dress, before ordering her from the bedroom. The blonde gave a half-hearted protest, but couldn't wait to see what her girlfriend had chosen to wear.

The Delacour Christmas Ball was a tradition steeped in history. Hermione had attended the Yule Ball, but that looked like a barn dance in comparison to the grandeur that the Delacours put on display. As the intended of the Delacour heir, Hermione was determined to dress the part. She had finally found the perfect dress only a few days previously and had kept it a secret from Fleur. She couldn't wait to see the look on her lover's face.

The brunette slipped into the floor-length gown, which gripped her in all the right places. It was an elegant halter neck dress, silvery blue with diamonds dotted across the material, making it look like it was constantly moving. Hermione adjusted the jewellery she had been given by the Delacours and after one last glance in the mirror she headed downstairs.

The buzz of chatter could be heard as soon as she exited her bedroom and she carefully made her way down the stairs, for fear of falling over in her heels. Halfway down she stopped as she saw the face she had been waiting to see.

Fleur was stood in the Entrance Hall by the fountain at the base of the stairs and had clearly stopped mid-conversation with some relative. She was staring open-mouthed at Hermione, as the brunette came down the stairs. From the look in her eyes Hermione wouldn't have been surprised if the blonde was drooling.

"Close your mouth, my love," laughed Hermione, as she finally reached her lover.

Fleur swallowed visibly. "You...you...you..."

The brunette laughed and kissed her girlfriend chastely, in view of the large amount of Delacours who had arrived and all watched Hermione descend the stairs.

"Shall we go through?" suggested the brunette.

All Fleur could do was nod. Grasping hands the couple walked through into the ballroom. Hermione stared around at the grand room, marvelling at its beauty. The majority of the Coven were already seated at tables and the ones that had been stood out in the Entrance Hall were now filtering in.

As the couple walked through the ballroom, they were stopped by several relatives, who all wanted to shake hands and introduce themselves.

"It's so wonderful to finally meet you Mademoiselle Granger," said one, who smiled warmly at her.

"What an honour it is to meet you, we've heard so many good things."

"How lucky we are to have you two as the future of this Coven."

Hermione wasn't sure how to respond so smiled back and uttered her thanks. Fleur was soon caught in a conversation about trade rights, something the brunette knew nothing about. Just when she was getting worried that soon someone might ask her opinion she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder and turned to see Armand.

"You look as if you need a more relaxed conversation," he said, his eyes twinkling brightly.

Hermione smiled weakly at him and he laughed.

"Normally I'm not invited to these things, owing to my being male, but Julienne invited me this year," he explained. "I must say it is a bit more full on than I expected."

"It is a bit," replied Hermione, biting her lip.

Armand just smiled at her. "Don't worry you will soon learn all about this. Fleur will be there to guide you and so will the rest of us."

"But I don't know anything about trade, or anything to do with Coven business," said the brunette, voicing her fears for the first time.

Fleur's father shook his head. "Nor are you expected to at this stage. The rest of the Coven know that and they also know you are the brightest witch of your age. Anything you set your mind to, you can accomplish, and I have no doubt about that. With you by Fleur's side I know that this Coven will be better and stronger than ever before. You don't know how brilliant you are Hermione and that is what is going to make you such a good leader in this Coven."

"But Fleur is the next leader," said the brunette.

"True," nodded Armand, "but if you think for one second that you won't be seen as joint leader then that is where you are mistaken. Your exploits at the Ministry with Mr Potter are well known, even to this Coven. You are held in very high regard and they will look to you to lead as much as they will Fleur. You have only seen this Coven under Julienne's sole leadership. Back when her mate, Fleur's other Grandmere was alive, they ruled this Coven in a partnership and that is how they were viewed by the rest of the Delacours. You and Fleur will be viewed in the same way."

Hermione felt a bit light-headed. Armand noticed and put an arm around her shoulders. "I don't know if I can do this Armand."

"You can, my dear Hermione, and what's more you will excel at it. I believe in you, don't ever forget that."

He smiled warmly at her again and Hermione began to realise that maybe, just maybe she could do this. Before she could thank him for his kind words a gong sounded signalling for everyone to join their tables.

As everyone began taking their seats Hermione hesitated. Last year she had sat at the top table with the family, she didn't want to assume she would be seated there again.

"We are with my family at the top, ma belle, as always," whispered Fleur, leading the brunette by the hand up to their seats.

The blonde pulled out Hermione's chair for her and then sat down next to her. Everyone was seated now and food soon appeared on the plates in front of them all. It all look so mouth-watering that the brunette didn't know where to start. She helped herself to something of everything and began tucking in with gusto. Armand was seated to her right and soon had her fits of laughter like always. She managed to forget her nerves about being on display in front of the entire Coven and just enjoyed herself. Fleur was being her usual affectionate self and kept rubbing Hermione's back and whispering in her ear, causing the brunette to look at her in what she was sure was a very soppy look.

Once the meal had been finished Julienne stood up, bringing everyone's attention to her.

"Welcome," she began. "It is so lovely to see us all gathered here again. What a year it has been! We have faced threats both from outside and within."

Hermione looked around at the faces watching Julienne and was relieved that no one seemed to be pulling a face or exchanging a look at the subtle mention of Voldemort and Guinevere. She switched her focus back to Julienne as she carried on.

"Despite the best efforts of our enemies to destabilise this Coven, we remain as strong as ever. It is vital during these perilous times that we stay united as a family and as a Coven." Again, Julienne paused. "As you are all aware, my granddaughter, Fleur, is the next in line to the leadership of this Coven and I am so incredibly happy that her mate, Hermione, has accepted a promise ring."

Hermione blushed as all eyes turned to look at her and applause started sounding across the whole room. She was shocked to see the faces of all gathered looking delighted and smiling brightly at Julienne's words and some even raised a glass. Hermione felt Fleur's hand grasp her own and give it a reassuring squeeze and the brunette couldn't help but share a loving look with the girl who had captured her heart.

"These two are the future of this Coven," continued Julienne, "and I have no doubt that they will lead this Coven into a new era, one where we are stronger than ever before. So, in view of that I would like you to please all stand and raise a glass."

All the Veela in the room stood as one, except for the lovers, who remained seated.

"To Fleur and..."

Before Julienne could finish there was a deafening bang and an explosion of glass and plaster as the right hand wall blasted open.

Dark shapes swept into the room, firing spells into the crowds of Veela. Some spells missed and hit the walls, others caught the curtains and tapestries. Soon the room was on fire. From the dark shapes, Death Eaters emerged. Hermione felt fear grip her and found herself reacting without thinking, firing spells at the intruders. There was another hole blasted in the wall causing many Veela to go flying. The smoke from the fire and debris was so thick Hermione could barely see. She had no idea where Fleur, or anyone else was. The noise was deafening, with the sounds of spells and people shouting and screaming, whether in pain or anger she could not tell.

Through the smoke and flame, Hermione saw shadows emerge,

"Well, well, well," said a familiar voice. "What do we have here?"

Hermione froze as she saw Aurelie leering down at her. She felt her heart plummet when she saw who was standing next to her.

"Sabine?"

Before the dark-haired Veela could say anything there was a cracking sound and all three women looked up to see the ceiling give way and everything went black.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: I hope you can see why I was excited to get to the previous chapter! Sorry to leave it on such a cliff-hanger, but I do love creating some suspense. I am just going to make myself a cup of tea (British so we have to have about 10 cups a day otherwise we are not allowed a passport) and then I will get started on the next chapter. I have all the chapters for this story planned out, so I know where I'm going. I hope you enjoy this next chapter. Thank you for all your support with anyone reading this, following, favouriting, or reviewing. It is amazing and such a nice feeling to have so many people enjoying these stories. On with the next chapter! Disclaimer: All characters (except for Aurelie, Sabine and the cousins) belong to J.K. Rowling.**

It was a strange sensation coming back into consciousness. Hermione rather felt like she was emerging from underneath water. Sound assaulted her eardrums as she began to awaken, before fading aware as she struggled to come to. What had happened?

With a rush, images flashed before her eyes.

The room exploding. Shouting and screaming. Spells flying. Wall cracking. Death Eaters emerging from flames. And...and...Sabine.

Hermione's eyes snapped open as this final thought passed through her mind. She was dimly aware of someone carrying her, but for some reason her eyes kept slipping in and out of focus. There was a lot of shouting and crashing coming from all directions making the brunette feel on edge. The one thing that snapped her back to reality was the thick, heavy smell of smoke in the air.

Gentle arms lowered her onto the floor and she became aware of someone calling her name.

"Hermione? Hermione?"

"Ar...Armand?" mumbled the brunette. She blinked rapidly and the face of Fleur's father came into focus.

"Oh, Hermione, thank goodness," said Armand.

He had a cut on his cheek and was rubbing his leg gingerly, but seemed to be relatively unscathed.

"Wh...what happened?" stammered Hermione. She raised a hand to a sore point on her head and winced at how tender it was. Bringing her hand down she saw blood on her fingertips.

"Death Eaters. Death Eaters attached," replied Armand. "The ceiling..it started to come down, but before it crushed everyone someone stopped it, I don't know who. I got Gabrielle out and went back in and that's when I found you."

Hermione made to get up, but he put a hand on her shoulder to keep her still.

"You've had a knock to the head, you need to stay here until we can have it healed," he said firmly.

"No, Fleur, the others...I have to see that they're alright."

She tried to get up again, but a wave of dizziness and nausea hit her.

"You're going nowhere," replied Armand. "Here." He raised his wand and with a tingling sensation he healed the wound. The dizziness was still there, but at least the throbbing had stopped.

"Hermione!"

They both looked over to see Fleur sprinting over. She threw herself at the brunette, wrapping her up tightly in her arms.

"Fl...Fleur." Hermione couldn't help herself, she started sobbing into her girlfriend's shoulder.

"It's alright, ma belle, I'm here now," murmured the blonde.

"Where are the others?" asked Hermione, raising her head to look at Fleur.

The blonde swallowed and shared a look with her father. "They're...alive. It was chaos as soon as the attack started. I...I couldn't find you. I...I..."

Tears were shining in Fleur's eyes and she held Hermione's head to her shoulder, shaking as the tears began to fall.

"What do you mean "they're alive"?" choked the brunette, her voice barely more than a whisper. She drew back to look at Fleur again, who in turn swallowed again.

"Valentine...she's...she's not in a good way," explained the blonde. "Everyone got out, but she...she got thrown by the explosion and hit the wall. She was lying on the lawn when I came out looking for you."

Hermione felt a wave of nausea hit again and turned the other way as emptied the contents of her stomach onto the lawn.

"Is she...will she..." Armand couldn't finish the sentence.

A single tear now rolled down Fleur's cheek. "I...I don't know. Grandmere and mama are trying everything."

There was silence between them as they contemplated the blonde's words.

"I want to see her," cried Hermione.

Fleur nodded and lifted the brunette into her arms. It was only then that Hermione saw the house. It was a scene of utter devastation. One wall had been blown open and flames were everywhere. She could see figures silhouetted by the fire working to bring the blaze under control. Large parts of the roof were missing and you could clearly see into the floors above the now destroyed ballroom. Wounded Veela were strewn all across the lawn being tended to by those who were faring better. There was no sign of any of the attackers.

Slowly and carefully Fleur carried Hermione. The brunette tried to protest, but her girlfriend was having none of it. Armand walked silently beside them through the groups of Veela scattered around the grounds.

Hermione saw Gabrielle, Camille and the rest of Fleur's family huddled together. As soon as they got close, Gabrielle ran and jumped into her father's waiting arms, crying hysterically. The rest of the Veela rushed over to check that Hermione was alright. She ignored all of them as her eyes focused on the body lying on the floor behind them and the two figures of Apolline and Julienne working frantically, casting spell after spell over Valentine's unresponsive form. Agnes, Valentine's mother, was stood watching over her daughter. Tears were falling silently down her cheeks and it was clear she was in a state of shock.

"Put me down," Hermione ordered Fleur. The blonde was reluctant to, but Hermione was insistent. "Agnes needs us now."

Looking over at her aunt, Fleur nodded and carefully let the brunette stand. Her legs were wobbly, now that the adrenaline was wearing off. Stumbling slightly, Hermione made her way over to Agnes. Astoria and Antonine grasped their sister's hands and the group waited anxiously.

Hermione had never felt so helpless before. The sky was beginning to lighten by the time Julienne and Apolline stopped. The former walked over to her daughter and led Agnes and Valentine's two sisters, Camille and Victorie, off to the side. Apolline approached the rest, a grim expression on her face.

"We've done everything we can," she murmured, her voice hoarse. "It's too soon to tell what will happen."

No one said anything for a moment. Apolline looked to her husband and two remaining sisters.

"Can you help me? We need to put her somewhere comfortable."

The older adults nodded and used their wands to cause Valentine's body to float, suspended perfectly in place to avoid any further damage. The younger generation watched as their cousin's body moved with her escort towards the house.

"What do we do?" asked Astrid, hugging Gabrielle tight to her side.

They all looked to Fleur. "We help the rest of the Coven. We've been trained in healing, so put those skills to work. Grandmere needs to look after Aunt Agnes, it's up to us." She shared a look with Hermione, who nodded.

"Fleur's right. It's no good us standing around and waiting. Let's split up and make sure everyone's okay."

Everyone nodded and paired off, even Gabrielle despite her age. The two lovers grasped hands and shared a determined look, before going and helping a nearby Veela. Hermione jumped as there was a loud crash and more of the roof fell in. Fleur immediately ran to help stabilise the rest of the house, leaving the brunette to check on the injured Veela.

The sun was beginning to rise by the time everything had been sorted. Hermione had never seen so much carnage. The fire had at last been defeated, but the house was still smouldering. They had made use of the cottages on the grounds of the estate to house the members of the Coven who were injured and needed more thorough healing. Despite the chaos of the previous evening, Hermione marvelled at how such an even brought the entire family closer together. Everyone, no matter their rank in the Coven, had joined together to fight and help protect each other and now it was all hands on deck for the clear-up and tending to the wounded.

Hermione couldn't remember feeling this exhausted. Now everyone had been healed, there was nothing for her to do, which meant she could no longer distract herself from thinking about what had happened. Before she even realised she was crying.

"Mademoiselle Granger?"

The brunette jumped as a figure nearby spoke. She saw it was a blonde, she hazard a guess at forties, who was looking concerned.

"S...sorry," stammered Hermione. "It's just...just everything getting to me."

The older Veela smiled despite the situation. "It is okay to cry. Crying means you care." The brunette smiled weakly, although she didn't feel like it. The Veela opened her mouth, shut it and then opened it again. "I wanted to say thank you. I've heard many stories about you and I must admit, I didn't believe them. But, seeing you, how you cared for others and worked with us, well, I was wrong. So, thank you."

Hermione didn't know what to say, so swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded. A voice called her name and she turned to see Fleur approaching.

"There you are, ma belle," said the blonde, who then noticed the other Veela stood there. "Oh, Constance, sorry I didn't see you there."

The older Veela shook her head. "No need to apologise, I was just expressing my thanks to your intended. Well, I should be going. I need to check on my daughters." She shook hands with Fleur and then offered her hand to Hermione, who took it. "It was lovely to meet you properly Mademoiselle Granger and once again, thank you." She turned to face Fleur again. "Please do keep me updated with news about your cousin. I hope she recovers quickly."

"I will and thank you," replied the blonde.

With a last nod of her head, Constance turned and walked off in the direction of one of the cottages.

"You certainly know how to make friends," said Fleur, a rather shocked expression on her face.

"I do?" replied Hermione, looking confused.

The blonde nodded with a small smile. "Oh yes. That was Constance. We've suspected her of being an ally to Guinevere for quite some time."

Hermione felt like she'd been plunged into a bucket of ice-cold water. Seeing the alarmed look on her girlfriend's face, the blonde grasped her hands and shook her head.

"No, no, ma belle. Either she was never an ally, or she has changed her mind entirely. She wouldn't have shaken your hand otherwise."

The brunette looked astonished. Fleur opened her mouth to speak, but a shout sounded.

"Fleur, Hermione," called Camille. "It's Valentine."

Feeling her mouth run dry, Hermione ran to follow Camille, Fleur hot in her heels. They ran round to a side entrance to the house and up a staircase. There wasn't any damage here, so the brunette assumed it had been deemed safe. Camille led them down corridors to a room, where she knocked and entered without waiting.

Hermione hurried inside and saw the family gathered around a bed, where Valentine was propped up looking at everyone with a slightly dazed expression. She looked pale and Agnes was holding her hand tightly.

"We were wondering where you two were," said Apolline, hugging them both.

The brunette apologised and turned to Valentine. "How are you feeling?"

"Like a house fell on me. How about you?" said Valetine, with a slight grin.

Hermione winced. "Stupid question, huh?"

Valentine laughed, but this quickly turned into a grimace. "Maybe don't make a Veela laugh right now."

"Just don't scare us like that again," said a relieved sounding Fleur.

"I'll try," her cousin replied.

"How did this even happen?" growled Agnes. "How did the Death Eaters even know how to get in?"

"Sabine.

Everyone turned to look at Valentine, who had spoken.

"I saw her, right before the second explosion threw me against the wall"

"What?" gasped Julienne. "It...it can't have been. You must have been..."

"Don't say I was mistaken," shouted Valentine. "I know what I saw."

Agnes glared at her mother, as she put a calming hand on her daughter's shoulder.

"I saw her too," whispered Hermione. All eyes flicked to her. The brunette found she couldn't look anyone in the eye. "Right before the ceiling fell down, I saw her with...with Aurelie."

A stunned silence followed her words. No one wanted to voice what they were all thinking.

"But...why?" said Gabrielle, voicing everyone's thoughts.

"Because we betrayed them," replied Apolline.

Fleur shot her mother an angry look. "So that gives them the right to attack us, does it? Sabine and Aurelie knew that the whole Coven was gathered for the Christmas Ball. They knew that plenty of people would get hurt."

Hermione could sense a big argument coming.

"Enough!" Everyone looked stunned. "Shouting isn't going to change anything, it's happened, now we have to deal with it."

"Well if I ever see Sabine again she'll wish she'd never been born," snarled Fleur, a look of pure venom in her eyes.

The brunette knew it was the sting of betrayal talking.

Julienne stepped forward. "Hermione is right, us having an argument isn't going to solve or change anything. Now Valentine needs rest, frankly we all do. The Veela guard has been assembled so it's safe for us to get some rest. I suggest we all go to bed and we can continue this at another, more appropriate time, not when we're all exhausted."

Hermione took Fleur by the hand. "Come on, love. Your Grandmere's right."

The blonde nodded. The lovers told Valentine to rest and they would check on her later, before leaving. Hermione wasn't sure if it was safe to return to their room, not knowing the extent of the structural damage, so let Fleur lead the way.

She was surprised, therefore, when they arrived at their room.

"We secured the damage, so there's no more danger of collapse," explained the blonde when she saw the look on her girlfriend's face.

Hermione waved her wand when they entered, removing all clothing from them both. They got into bed and cuddled up. Fleur fell asleep right away, clearly exhausted from the night's events. As the brunette turned around, so the blonde could be the big spoon, her eyes fell on her Hogwarts trunk.

Being careful not to wake Fleur, she slipped out of bed and opened her trunk. She couldn't believe that Sabine had actually betrayed them all.

Feeling the leather cover of the diary she had buried at the bottom of her trunk, Hermione pulled it out and opened it.

Rage, unlike anything she had experienced before, roared to life within her. There was nothing from Sabine. The stab of betrayal hit Hermione as she realised there had been no warning at all from the dark-haired Veela.

"How could she?" thought Hermione, feeling a part of her break at what Sabine had done.

She glanced at the flames in the fireplace and the wood crackling. Without any hesitation, she threw the diary into the fire and sat on the floor watching it burn as she wept.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Hello lovely readers! Sorry this was a bit later than planned, but I went for a trip away to see family and I struggled with motivation for this chapter because it's more of a filler. On another note, I once more visited the Harry Potter studio tour we have here in Britain to see the new Gringotts bit they've opened and, without spoiling it, it was bloody amazing! Thank you everyone for your support (as always). Every reader, review, favourite, or follow means so much. I hope you enjoy this chapter and pre-warning, there is a bit of smut at the end. Disclaimer: All characters (except for Aurelie, Sabine and the cousins) belong to J.K. Rowling.**

With a groan Hermione woke later that morning. She winced as her muscles ached from the awkward position she had slept in.

"That'll teach me for sleeping on the floor," she muttered to herself.

She hadn't been aware of falling asleep. She had sat up crying, watching the diary curl up in the flames and must have drifted off. The fire had long since died and there was no sign of the diary. Her thoughts went back to Sabine and her betrayal. She felt tears prick at her eyes and angrily wiped one away as it began to fall.

"No more," she thought. Pushing any thought of the dark-haired Veela to the back of her mind, the brunette was determined to forget she even existed.

Groaning again as she stood up, Hermione made her way over to the bed and cuddled up close to Fleur. The blonde stirred, but didn't wake, instead throwing an arm over Hermione's waist. She looked so peaceful in sleep.

Regret and guilt made the brunette feel sick as she thought about the diary she had kept a secret. Hermione reasoned that she had not told anyone because Sabine had asked her to, but in the wake of the attack the brunette wasn't sure she had done the right thing. With a churning feeling in her stomach, she fell into an uneasy sleep.

XXXXX

When she awoke she wondered for a split second what had caused it. It took her a few moments to realise someone was knocking on the door.

"Fleur?" said Hermione, sleepily.

When there was no reply she rolled over and saw her girlfriend was not in bed with her. There was a note on the empty pillow instead. Reaching for it, the brunette saw Fleur's familiar handwriting. Before she could read it there was another knock on the door.

"Come in," she called out, moving to sit up.

The door opened and Armand came in with a hand covering his eyes. If she wasn't so tired, Hermione would have laughed.

"It's okay, Armand," said the brunette. "I'm decent."

He parted his fingers slightly and when he saw she was wrapped up in bed still, he lowered his hand.

"Apologies for disturbing you."

Hermione smiled. "I was awake anyway. What time is it?"

"Just before midday," replied Armand. The brunette grabbed the nearest clock to confirm the time. "You have slept in, but then it is understandable."

She threw the covers off and slipped into her dressing gown.

"Where is everyone else?" asked Hermione.

"Well some of them are checking on the injured who stayed in the cottages and the rest are helping to begin the repair work," he replied.

The brunette nodded."I'll just get changed and come down. How's Valentine?"

Armand sighed. "She's resting. Agnes, Camille and Victorie stayed with her through the night, just in case her recovery wasn't as complete as we thought, but she seems okay."

Hermione nodded again. "If she's up to visitors I'd like to try and see her later, if that's okay."

"I'm sure she'd love the visit," beamed Armand. "Well, I'll leave you to get changed. I'm taking Gabrielle out today. She needs distracting after last night, so I'm going to take her into Paris where she can buy a get well present for Valentine."

He smiled, gave a small bow and left the room. The brunette sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed. She opened the note from Fleur.

 _Sorry I didn't wake you, ma belle. You looked so peaceful and beautiful I just couldn't disturb you. I'm going with my Grandmere to check on some of the Coven and then I will be repairing the house. Come find me when you wake. I love you, Fleur._

"I love you too," murmured Hermione, folding up the note carefully and placing it on the bedside table.

Deciding there was nothing else for it, she got up and headed towards the bathroom. When she finally felt refreshed and slightly more relaxed that she had been, Hermione made her way downstairs. The sunlight outside was blinding, contrasting with her mood. As she made her way down the path, she spotted Fleur amongst a group of Veela casting spells on the exterior of the house. There was no external sign of the damage that had been caused the previous night.

"Very impressive," said Hermione, walking up behind her lover.

"Not as impressive as you, ma belle," replied Fleur with a smile. There was a strange look in her eyes, one the brunette couldn't figure out, but no sooner as it appeared, it vanished.

"Quite the charmer," laughed Hermione, kissing the blonde chastely.

Fleur laughed too. "Only for you. We have just finished up out here."

"Well it's been repaired a lot quicker than I thought it would be," said the brunette. "You can't even tell it was destroyed."

The blonde snorted. "That's because we are Veela. We don't faff about like some people."

"That is very true. Have you seen Valentine?"

"Not yet," replied Fleur. "I thought I would wait for you."

Hermione nodded and kissed Fleur again. "Thank you."

The blonde Veela smiled and, taking her girlfriend by the hand, led her back into the house. When they arrived at Valentine's room and went in, they found her sat up in bed, shovelling food into her mouth.

"Trust you," laughed Fleur. "Only you could be thrown against a wall, nearly die and still be stuffing your face the following day."

"Fleur!" scolded Hermione, trying not to laugh. The blonde just shrugged, a cheeky grin on her face.

"Erm, excuse me," said Valentine, her mouth slightly full with food. "I am an invalid at the moment, you should be nice to me."

Agnes shook her head and laughed. She looked exhausted. but far more relaxed than she had been earlier. "Your cousin does have a point," she said, smiling at her daughter's reaction.

"Err, mum, you're supposed to defend your child, not join in and side with these two." Valentine gestured at the two lovers.

"Hey!" said Hermione. "That was Fleur, I didn't say anything."

It was Fleur's turn to look playfully indignant. "So much for supporting your mate, ma belle."

"No, no," interrupted Valentine. "She's on my side. Sorry Hermione for lumping you in with my delinquent cousin."

The brunette laughed at seeing how the Veela had recovered and was seemingly back to normal. Before Fleur could respond to her cousin there was a knock at the door and Julienne came in.

"Isn't this the party," she said, upon entering the room.

"Well, it's better than last night," interjected Valentine. When she saw everyone's shocked reactions she hastily added, "Too soon?"

They all laughed, reassured that Valentine was back to her old self.

"What time are you heading off on your trip to Paris?" asked Julienne, suddenly turning to Hermione and Fleur.

"Oh," said the brunette. "I'd forgotten about that. We can rearrange it for the summer, I'm sure."

"Absolutely not," replied the Delacour matriarch. "Go on your trip."

"But...but..." tried Hermione.

Julienne held up a hand. "Now you listen to me. There is no way we are going to allow what has happened here stop us from enjoying life. You should go."

"She's right, you know," piped up Valentine. "All joking aside, if Grandmere and Aunt Apolline hadn't made it to me, I might not be here." Agnes made a little noise and grasped her daughter's hand. "Life's too short."

Fleur turned to look at Hermione. "I think we should go too." She turned to Julienne. "So long as you're sure and I'm not needed here."

Her grandmother shook her head. "The ballroom is already repaired and most of the Coven have now returned home. Go, enjoy your week away."

"What do you say, ma belle?" asked the blonde.

Hermione looked at Fleur, then at Julienne and finally Valentine and Agnes. The latter nodded and smiled.

"Okay," said the brunette, "let's go."

Within an hour they were packed and ready to leave. Hasty goodbyes were given to the family, even Valentine, who had sneakily got out of bed to see the couple and was now being told off by her mother. Apolline promised to say goodbye to Gabrielle and Armand for them and with that they walked off down the drive.

They had shrunk their luggage and had decided to apparate to Paris, so they could enjoy the walk to the apartment. Hermione had handed the address for the accommodation to Fleur. She had booked it through a Wizarding holiday company, so the apartment was situated in a magical district..

Noise greeted the brunette's ears as she felt her feet touchdown in Paris. Opening her eyes she saw Fleur had apparated them into a small alleyway. She shivered slightly as a chilly breeze brushed past and the blonde adjusted her girlfriend's scarf to keep the cold at bay.

Grasping hands the couple stepped out from the alleyway into the hustle and bustle of the crowd. French Wizarding law forbade apparating into any magical area, so Fleur had taken them to a nearby spot and from there they walked along cobbled streets until they reached a fountain in a courtyard. Despite the icy temperature the water still flowed as if it was a fine summer's day. A little raven statue stood atop the stonework of the fountain.

Fleur had a quick glance around to check no one was watching and took out her wand, giving it a flick. The raven on top of the fountain suddenly opened its wings and cawed. Hermione jumped in shock and looked to a nearby crowd of people, but they seemed to not have noticed. Turning her attention back to the fountain she saw what she thought had been elaborately carved stone change and open to create a doorway. Fleur smiled and led Hermione through the entrance and the brunette felt her mouth drop open.

They had emerged onto a street full of people. There was a group of witches and wizards performing tricks and at a nearby cafe, house elves in smart uniforms were serving customers hot chocolate. Shops were dotted about the street and Hermione was saddened as she realised what a contrast this street was to how Diagon Alley now looked.

"Shall we sit and take in the atmosphere?" suggested Fleur, nodding in the direction of one of the cafes. The brunette could only nod, too amazed and interested by what she was seeing.

The blonde led the way into a cafe. She seemed to know the owner, who ran over and shook hands with her. He was a little fellow and it was with great excitement he also greeted Hermione and led the couple upstairs. He opened the door onto a balcony with just a single table and two chairs. It wasn't too high up, so it meant they could easily look over the busy streets below.

"This place is amazing," Hermione exclaimed.

Fleur's eyes twinkled. "I was hoping you would like it. This is our equivalent of Diagon Alley. A little more vibrant don't you think?"

The brunette nodded, taking her coat and scarf off. She realised there must be a warming charm because she could see people wrapping their jackets about them down below. A house elf came bustling out, bringing two mugs of hot chocolate.

"They are paid, ma belle," said Fleur, guessing the thought in her girlfriend's head.

With a short bow the house elf disappeared.

"It's so beautiful here," murmured Hermione, taking a sip of her hot chocolate. "Not at all like it is back in Britain."

The blonde nodded solemnly. "We don't have Voldemort to contend with here, not at the moment any way."

"We did last night," said the brunette.

A pained expression crossed Fleur's face. before she reached a hand across the table to grasp Hermione's.

"Let's not think about that for now," she said. "We have a whole week together here. Let's just enjoy our first trip away together."

"I'll drink to that," smiled Hermione, raising her mug. "To us."

"To us," repeated Fleur with a smile.

They both chinked their mugs together and took a sip, gazing lovingly at one another.

The couple enjoyed sitting and spending time with one another and forgot about anything outside this bubble they had created. Once they had finished their drinks, the two lovers decided to walk down the street. Fleur knew it well, but was enjoying how excited her girlfriend was.

There were a lot of similar shops to Diagon Alley, such as ones for school supplies, but there were others, even one which looked like a Wizarding department store. The blonde had to drag Hermione away from the bookstore, which was easily the largest one the brunette had ever seen.

"Come on, ma belle," said Fleur with a smile. "There is plenty more of Paris to see and they are a good deal more romantic than here. Why don't we head towards the apartment you booked."

Hermione reluctantly agreed and the blonde led them down the street to an old building, although it was ornate in its architecture. They entered the building and were greeted by a kind-looking, elderly witch, who shuffled over to them.

"Ah, you must be Mademoiselle Granger," she said in a thick French accent. "This way, s'il vous plait."

The couple followed her up several flights of stairs. Hermione was amazed that she managed it. Once at the top there was a single red door, which the woman unlocked with an old-fashioned gold key. she handed it to the brunette and wished them a pleasant stay, before disappearing back down the stairs.

Fleur allowed Hermione to go first through the door and the brunette couldn't help but pat herself on the back at the accommodation she had booked.

They were stood in a large sitting room with a comfy looking sofa and armchairs. Huge windows were opposite them and the view showed them a breath-taking glimpse of Paris, the Eiffel Tower standing out like a beacon.

"You really know how to plan a romantic trip, ma belle," said Fleur.

"I love you," murmured Hermione, wrapping her arms around the blonde's neck.

"I love you too," replied Fleur.

They kissed, soon loosing themselves in how good it felt.

"We have dinner reservations," the brunette tried to say.

Fleur moved to kiss her lover's neck, sucking on her pulse point. "We have time."

Hermione knew that this would only end one way and that wasn't with the two of them eating rich French food, but it felt like an age since they had last been intimate and what the blonde was doing to her pushed any other thought out of her mind.

Delicately and with well practiced hands they removed their clothing, eager to feel skin against skin. Hermione moaned as she felt Fleur's naked breasts brush against her own. They moved backwards as one until the blonde lowered her lover carefully to the sofa. Relaxing back against the cushions, Hermione wouldn't let Fleur's lips leave her own. The brunette ran her fingers down her girlfriend's back, relishing in the shiver that went through the quivering body hovering above her. Hermione's fingers soon found their prize, entering Fleur without any teasing. The blonde tore her mouth away and let out a groan which had Hermione's clit pulsing. It had been far too long since they were last connected in this way. Not wanting to be the only enjoying the pleasure beginning to build, Fleur traced her fingers around Hermione's opening, wetting her fingers with the moisture gathered there. The brunette's moan as her lover pushed into her was muffled by Fleur's mouth covering her own.

They rocked against one another, their fingers pumping in and out. Fleur's pussy was so tight Hermione could barely move her fingers. The brunette's hips rocked to meet each one of her girlfriend's thrusts. She wanted her orgasm to come crashing over her, but at the same time never wanted this feeling to end. Fleur's fingers inside her felt so right. She felt the blonde's thumb begin to play with her clit and Hermione gasped, quickly turn into a throaty moan she Fleur's lips slipped down her neck. The familiar feeling was building in the brunette with each thrust of the blonde's fingers. Deciding to up the ante, Hermione added another finger and scratched the nails of her other hand gently down her girlfriend's back. Fleur threw her head back, a look of pleasure on her face. The two lovers shared a look, each knowing what the other wanted. Quickening the pace, they pumped their fingers into the other harder and faster. The panting and the sounds of their sex filled the room. Hermione could feel the pleasure building and suddenly, like a dam bursting, her orgasm ripped through her. She knew by the shaking she could feel from the body on top of her that Fleur was coming too. The flood of moisture that coated the brunette's fingers and hand confirmed this.

She groaned as Fleur withdrew her fingers, immediately missing the feel of the blonde inside her. Hermione wanted more and was determined to get it. She removed her fingers from where they had been buried deep in Fleur and rolled them off the sofa. Fleur landed on her back with a small grunt, the brunette relaxing on top of her. Without any hesitation, Hermione slid down Fleur's body before sucking the blonde's clit into her mouth. Fleur once more moaned and tangled her fingers in the brunette's hair.

It looked like they weren't going to make dinner.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Hello lovely readers. I hope you are enjoying this story so far. I am here with another update (I know they are like buses). Thank you for all your support with views, favourites, follows and reviews, they put such a smile on my face. Please enjoy this next update and I will be back with the next chapter soon. Disclaimer: All characters (except for Aurelie, Sabine and the cousins) belong to J.K. Rowling.**

The couple spent a relaxing week in the French capital. Hermione had been right, they didn't make their dinner reservation, nor did they eat breakfast the following day. They finally emerged at around lunchtime, after the brunette insisted on going out for a meal.

The next few days were spent taking in all the sights Paris had to offer. They took a tour around the Notre Dame, climbed the Eiffel Tower and had lunch at the top, walked through the streets and parks, ate at many cafes and restaurants and, of course, had plenty of sex in between.

Before too long, the two lovers returned to the Delacour estate and Hermione was packing her trunk to return to Hogwarts. She felt a small amount of sadness at the prospect of her leaving the family, but at least she would have the weekends with Fleur still. She gave each of the family as hug as she was leaving, especially Valentine, who had recovered from her injuries. When it was time to say goodbye to Fleur, the blonde led her outside and away from the prying eyes of her family.

"This is ridiculous, I'm seeing you again in a few days," said a tearful Hermione.

"I will be counting down the hours," murmured Fleur. "Just think, next year is your last year, so we only have to do these goodbyes twice more."

The brunette was stunned. "I can't believe it's that soon," she exclaimed.

Despite her desperation to not leave Fleur and for her time at Hogwarts to be over, Hermione couldn't help but feel sad at the thought of leaving the place that had been her home for so long.

"Come on, let's not think about that," said Fleur, interrupting her girlfriend's thoughts. "Just focus on the time we had in Paris, I know I will." The blonde winked suggestively.

Hermione laughed and playfully slapped Fleur's arm. "We did more than just have sex."

"Did we?" asked the blonde, pretending to look confused. "I just remember you being naked...a lot."

"Very funny," said the brunette. "In that case I think our next romantic trip should have a sex ban, so I can ensure you remember all the other things we do."

At this Fleur looked alarmed , before pouting as she realised her lover was joking.

"As if we could resist one another," the blonde countered.

They wrapped their arms around one another and shared a kiss.

"I'll see you Friday night," murmured Hermione.

"Cannot wait," replied Fleur, kissing her lover once more.

Reluctantly they parted and rejoined the family in the hall. With a few more goodbyes, Hermione stepped into the fireplace and flooed back to the cottage.

Her luggage had been sent on ahead, so the brunette grabbed the portkey resting on the coffee table and, with the familiar jerk behind the navel, she landed back in her room in Gryffindor Tower.

It seemed strange to be back checking that her trunk had arrived, the brunette decided to go and find Harry and Ron. She wanted to fill them both in on everything that had happened and to hear about their own Christmas holidays. Hermione just hoped there hadn't been any more developments in Harry's 'Malfoy is a Death Eater' theory.

The Common Room was relatively quiet; most students were probably at dinner. Treading the familiar path down to the Great Hall she felt anxious. She was once more under the same roof as Dumbledore and she didn't want to bump into the Headmaster, not when she was on her own. With a small sense of relief, Hermione entered the Great Hall to see Dumbledore engaged in conversation with Professor Flitwick. She immediately looked to the Gryffindor table and saw the two boys seated with Ginny. Ron wasn't joining in the conversation, he was too busy stuffing his face.

The brunette hurried over and sat down next to Ginny.

"Mione," chorused the trio when she sat down, Ron's voice slightly muffled by the amount of food in his mouth.

"Hello all. Good holiday?" asked Hermione.

"It was great, thanks," replied Ginny. "How was yours?"

The brunette hesitated. She didn't feel like telling them in the middle of the packed Hall.

"I'll tell you later," she muttered quickly.

The other three looked slightly alarmed, but Hermione just shook her head and forced a smile.

"So, what did you get up to?" asked the brunette, helping herself to some lasagne.

"Not much," replied Harry. "Ate too much, of course, and played lots of Quidditch against the twins, Bill and Charlie."

Hermione's mind drifted as the other three started arguing over who won the Quidditch and she couldn't help but smile at how normal it all felt. She felt eyes on the back of her head and, turning to face the top table, she saw Dumbledore looking at her. The expression on his face was hard to read, but it didn't send shivers down her spine the way it used to. Turning her gaze back to the boys opposite, she glanced at Malfoy. The blonde Slytherin caught her eye and he seemed to pale. The brunette blinked, but Malfoy had turned his attention to his plate of food. She rejoined the conversation just as Ginny threw a potato at Ron.

Once they had finished dinner, in which Hermione had choked on a carrot after hearing about a prank the twins had played on Charlie, they walked up to Gryffindor Tower. They threw themselves down in some armchairs by the window and the other three exchanged looks.

"So...er...what happened over the holidays?" asked Harry, looking apprehensive.

The brunette sighed. "You have to promise not to react, or to tell anyone."

"Now we're worried," said Ginny. "Are you alright?"

It was a sign of how close they all were that the other three looked genuinely fearful.

"Basically, the Delacour estate was attacked by Death Eaters on Christmas Day and Aurelie and Sabine were there too," Hermione explained.

The reaction was immediate. Harry sat up straight, nearly falling out the chair, Ginny's mouth dropped open and Ron swore loudly, gaining the attention of the entire room.

"What did I say?" hissed the brunette.

The trio leaned forward, looking apologetic.

"Sorry Mione," muttered Ron. "What do you mean, attacked?"

"The side of the house was blown open and the Death Eaters came in, casting spells. It was a miracle no one was killed."

"That's lucky," murmured Harry. "Was anyone hurt?"

Hermione nodded. "Quite a few actually. Fleur's cousin, Valentine, was incredibly lucky. She was thrown against a wall when the room was exploded."

"And Sabine was there?" asked a horrified Ginny. "What was she playing at?"

They all looked angry.

"I...I don't know." The brunette felt like crying, but once more she refused to let the tears fall for what the dark-haired Veela had done. "Look can we change the subject?" pleaded Hermione. "I...I just can't talk about it."

Ron and Harry opened their mouths to ask more questions, but Ginny cut across them.

"Of course we can." She shot a look at the boys, who uttered apologies and nodded. They fell into an awkward silence, none of them sure how to move on.

"So..." said Ron, "the Chudley Cannons aren't doing as bad this season."

Harry looked puzzled. "Mate, we're on the bottom of the table and haven't won a match."

The redhead tried to subtly kick his friend, but missed. "I know, but I was struggling to think of a different topic."

Hermione couldn't help it, she burst out laughing and soon enough the four of them were howling with laughter in the corner, unable to stop.

"Who wants to play Exploding Snap?" asked Ginny, wiping a tear away from her eye as the giggles subsided.

It was nearly midnight by the time they decided to go to bed. Hermione's legs felt like lead as she climbed the stairs. She entered her bedroom and shivered. Turning she saw the window was open and she hurried to shut it.

"Thank goodness you're alright."

Spinning around, Hermione saw Sabine standing in the corner. Like lightning the brunette had her wand in her hand, pointing it at the dark-haired Veela, who raised her hands.

"You've got some nerve turning up here," growled Hermione.

"Please let me explain," said Sabine, taking a step forward.

"Stay where you are," shouted the brunette.

Sabine froze. "Please, Hermione, I can..."

"Can what? What Sabine?" She was shaking as she felt the anger surging through her. Hermione knew she was shouting, but found she didn't care. "Did you even care whether your family lived or died? Did you? You attacked us. You knew the Delacour Ball was on and you attacked us. The wall exploded, dozens were injured, the damn ceiling came down on all our heads. We could have died. Valentine very nearly did. Do you remember her? Valentine? Your cousin?"

Sabine had gone white. She lowered her head, hiding her face from the brunette.

"How could you?" screamed Hermione. "How could you do that to us? To me? I thought we were friends. Yes, your family did wrong in not telling you about Aurelie, but they didn't deserve this. They didn't deserve you turning up with Aurelie, trying to kill us all. Do you have any idea how Julienne and the others feel? You should have seen their faces when they heard. I have never seen your grandmothers look so broken."

"I...I..." stammered Sabine, still refusing to look at the brunette.

"We could have been killed," roared Hermione. "How could you do this? The least you could have done was warn me. All it would have taken would be you warning us, but no you couldn't even do that. I checked the diary afterwards, but there was nothing, not even a little note. There had been nothing for a while. Why? Why did you ignore me?"

Still Sabine said nothing. Hermione finally lost her temper and threw a Reducto spell at the wall just behind the dark-haired Veela's head, causing her to jump.

"How could you betray us like that?" screamed the brunette. "Valentine almost died. That ceiling could have killed us all."

Sabine muttered something Hermione couldn't hear.

"What?" shouted the brunette.

The dark-haired Veela looked up and there were tears in her eyes and shining on her face.

"I tried.." cried Sabine. "I tried to stop it..."

"You didn't try hard enough," roared Hermione.

"I did...I cast a spell to stop the ceiling...I pulled Valentine out. I was trying to save her, casting spells when I heard voices and movement. It...it was Aunt Apolline and my Grandmere, so I ran. I...I..." Words escaped Sabine as she started crying. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," she kept muttering, over and over again.

Hermione just stood there. "Why? Tell me why?"

The dark-haired Veela tried to stifle the sobs. "I...I...I didn't...didn't know. The attack...Aurelie just said we were going somewhere. We apparated away, she took me. It was only when we arrived that I realised where we were. The Death Eaters...they were everywhere...I didn't know what to do. I...I...I tried to say something to Aurelie, but Bellatrix, she was there and as I went to speak they attacked. There...there was nothing I could do."

With this Sabine broke down once more, unable to stop the tears from falling heavily.

"Please...please Hermione, you have to believe me," pleaded the dark-haired Veela.

The brunette took a step forward. "Stay here. Stay here, I can contact the family. Don't go back to Aurelie."

"But...I...the family won't have me back. They will blame me for the attack...they'll never forgive me. I...I can't leave my mother. There are things...things I need to do. I..."

"Why can't you leave?" asked Hermione, feeling her temper begin to rise again.

Sabine said nothing, she just looked out the window. "I can't...you just have to trust me..."

"Trust you?" screamed the brunette. "You come here saying you had nothing to do with the attack and yet you still refuse to tell me what is going on. After everything that has happened I at least deserve you being honest with me. I'm so fed up Sabine. So fed up and I'm done. When I suggest you return to the family so I can help you, you say you can't."

The dark-haired Veela stayed quiet, still resolutely staring out of the window, tears continuing to fall.

"No, you know what Sabine," yelled Hermione. "Stay or go, it's your choice. Either you return to the family and we work on putting this right, or you stay with Aurelie. You can't have both, not after everything that's happened."

"I...I can't," cried the dark-haired Veela.

"You and Aurelie deserve one another," spat Hermione. "Just stay away from me and the family."

Without another word, the brunette turned on her heel and stormed out the room, slamming the door behind her.

Sabine cried harder than ever, her body shaking. She slid down the wall, her tears falling quickly and freely.

"I have to protect you, Hermione. What I'm doing is only to protect you, to protect them all."


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Hey all. So this chapter is a bit of a filler, but we start with a bit more action in the next chapter. Thank you for your support with this story and the others. I hope you enjoy it, even though it's filling in events. Disclaimer: All characters (except Aurelie, Sabine and the cousins) belong to J.K. Rowling.**

Hermione spent the night sleeping awkwardly on one of the sofas in the Gryffindor Common Room. Her blood was still boiling, so she struggled to calm her racing mind ready to sleep, but eventually exhaustion took her and she fell into an uneasy sleep. She was rudely awoken by first years racing across the Common Room and out the portrait hole. Grumbling to herself she stood up, wincing as her back and neck protested movement and headed back up to her room.

She half-expected Sabine to still be there, but there was no sign of the dark-haired Veela. Hermione didn't know what to feel about her anymore. As she had become accustomed to, the brunette pushed all thoughts of Sabine out of her mind and focused on getting ready for another day of lessons.

A short while later she was sat with Ginny and the two boys in the Great Hall. Hermione found she had lost her appetite, so just sat with a cup of tea in front of her.

"Everything alright, Mione?" asked Ginny, who was watching her friend closely.

"Hmm, oh...yes, I'm fine," replied the brunette.

The other three exchanged a concerned look, but none of them pushed any further. They knew what she got like when she was in this sort of mood.

A young girl appeared at Harry's shoulder and thrust a scroll at him, before giving a frightened squeak and running off.

"That better not be another invite to that bloody Slug Club," grumbled Ron.

"We haven't got one either, so it's probably not an invite," said Ginny, matter-of-factly, gesturing at herself and Hermione.

"Don't remind me it's just me left out," replied Ron, scowling into his scrambled eggs. "Go on, what is it then?"

Harry didn't respond he just shared a look with Ron and Hermione.

"Well, clearly this doesn't involve me, so..." Ginny trailed off and when no one replied she stood up, muttered goodbye and walked off.

"It's another lesson with Dumbledore," explained Harry, keeping his voice low. "He wants to meet tonight."

Hermione felt apprehensive, but didn't say anything. She was in no mood to have a second fight in eight hours.

"I wonder what you'll see this time," pondered Ron.

The brunette didn't pay attention as the two boys began discussing all the possibilities.

After dinner that night, they all returned to the Common Room to see a small crowd of students assembled around a notice board. Making their way over, Hermione looked over the heads of some fourth-years, so she could read the sign pinned there.

 _APPARITION LESSONS_

 _If you are seventeen years of age, or will turn seventeen on or before the 31st August next, you are eligible for a twelve-week course of Apparition Lessons from a Ministry of Magic Apparition instructor. Please sign below if you would like to participate._

"Finally apparation lessons," said an excited Ron, punching the air with his fist. "I've been waiting to do this since Fred and George started showing off. Now I can do it right back."

Hermione shook her head with a smile. She couldn't believe how competitive the Weasleys could get. The trio added their names to the list.

"Well, I better get ready for my lesson with Dumbledore," said Harry.

"Let us know, how it goes," said Hermione, waving as Harry departed.

"So, what do we do?" asked Ron, turning to look at her.

"Snape's essay, of course," she replied.

The redhead groaned. "I should have known you'd suggest that."

Grumbling about Snape, Ron reluctantly joined Hermione at a desk and took out parchment, quill and ink.

"So," he said, staring at the brunette," where do we start?"

" _You_ start with an introduction and don't expect any help from me," explained the brunette.

Ron pulled a face.

It didn't take Hermione long to finish the essay, Ron was a different story. He was still struggling with it later when an exhausted Harry clambered back through the portrait hole. The redhead immediately pushed his essay away and off the table causing the brunette to roll her eyes. She still turned her attention to Harry, who threw himself into a nearby chair.

"So, how was it?" asked Ron, sharing a look with Hermione.

"It was...interesting," replied Harry, sounding tired. "Voldemort murdered his father and his grandparents and then orchestrated it so that his own uncle, his mother's brother, took the blame thinking he'd done it."

"Wait, what?" said a shocked Ron.

"I know," Harry replied. "He wasn't that old, Voldemort I mean. Sixteen, I think. What kind of person can murder three people and then let a family member get arrested and put in Azkaban?"

"Voldemort," said Hermione, simply.

No one said anything for a moment. They were stunned that even at such a young age Voldemort was killing without compassion.

"That wasn't the only thing," Harry said, after a while. "I saw a memory from Slughorn too. He gave it to Dumbledore, but when we saw it, it was clear it had been tampered with."

"Tampered with?" said Hermione.

Harry nodded. "It was from when Voldemort was at school. He was attending a meeting of Slug Club and at the end he held back and asked Slughorn what a horcrux was. That's when it went strange. The volume went all weird and the image distorted so we couldn't see anything clearly."

"What's a horcrux?" asked Ron, turning to look at Hermione.

The brunette just gave them a bewildered look. "I have no idea. I've never even heard the word before."

This annoyed Hermione. She was used to knowing nearly everything and not knowing something was incredibly frustrating.

"Well, whatever it is, I'm sure it's no good thing, not if Voldemort is interested in it and Slughorn wants to cover up whatever he told him," murmured Ron. "How are you going to find out what was said?"

Harry pulled a face. "Dumbledore has given me a task. He said that I need to persuade Slughorn to give me the proper memory, because without it there is no hope of stopping Voldemort.

"No pressure then?" said Hermione.

Ron just threw his arms up in triumph. "What are you talking about? This is going to be easy. Slughorn loves you. There's no way he can refuse his star pupil."

The brunette shook her head. "I don't think it's going to be that simple Ron. Slughorn wouldn't even give this memory to Dumbledore and they've been friends for years. This is going to be more of a problem than you think it is."

"Surely I can just ask him for it?" said Harry. "After all it's to stop Voldemort, what's more important than that?"

Hermione shook her head. "Like I said, I doubt it will be that easy. Clearly he wants to hide whatever happened and shame can be a powerful motivator for him not to share."

"There's no need to be so negative," mumbled Ron.

"I'm not, I'm just being realistic," shot back the brunette.

"Guess, we will see in Potions tomorrow," said Harry.

They spent the rest of the evening discussing ways to try and persuade Slughorn to hand over the memory. Well the boys did, Hermione decided to stay out of it and avoid highlighting the flaws in the suggestions being made.

XXXXX

The following day in Potions Hermione cringed as she watched Harry attempt to get the memory from Slughorn. She knew it wasn't going to be as simple as walking up to the Professor and just asking. As she expected, Harry was brushed off by Slughorn and he came back to join the brunette and Ron scowling.

"Don't say I told you so," said Harry, through gritted teeth.

"I wasn't going to," protested Hermione.

That weekend the brunette quickly filled Fleur in on what Harry had been tasked with and asked if Fleur had ever heard of a horcrux.

"No, I can't say I have," said the blonde, when she was asked. "It was never covered at Beauxbatons either. I'll ask my Grandmere, she's very knowledgeable. I wonder why your Professor Slughorn doesn't want to hand over the real memory."

Hermione couldn't help but wonder the same thing. She had been relying on her lover knowing something about it, so the fact that even Fleur didn't know concerned her even more.

Over the next few weeks, the brunette watched as Harry tried again and again to bump into Slughorn and try and get the memory but to no avail. In an effort to help her friend, Hermione dragged the boys or Ginny along to the library to try and find out what a horcrux was. She was defeated as, for the first time in her Hogwarts career, the library failed to offer up any answers.

"What?" said Ron, incredulously when she told them. "You mean you don't know everything?"

A well-placed Stinging Jinx was the response, leaving the redhead rubbing his side.

"There are no books in the library at all. I even got a note from Professor Vector to go into the Restricted Section, seeing as we are now allowed in there, and the books in there didn't mention it. Well, except for this one book. All I could find was in the introduction to Magick Moste Evile: 'Of the Horcrux, wickedest of magical inventions, we shall not speak nor give direction'…I mean, why mention it, then?" she said impatiently.

Soon all thoughts of Slughorn's memory were pushed aside as the first Apparation lesson approached. It quickly became the main topic of conversation for the sixth-years and whilst Hermione saw the benefit of being able to disappear and reappear in another spot, she couldn't summon up the same level of excitement as her peers.

"But how can you not be excited for it?" asked a stunned Ron. "It's amazing."

The brunette shrugged. "I guess because I've done it so many times with Fleur."

On the morning of the Apparation lesson Hermione managed to extract herself with difficulty from Fleur. The lesson had been scheduled for a Saturday so that no lessons would be missed, meaning the brunette would have to spend precious time away from her lover. She was sorely tempted to just not go, but the blonde insisted.

"Go, you'll have fun. Besides, I can be distracted by paperwork until you come back and then I plan on being distracted by you for the rest of the weekend."

This did nothing to motivate Hermione to go, leaving Fleur to practically push her out the door with the promise of a romantic meal for two if she went. With an equal measure of reluctance and excitement for what her girlfriend had in store later, Hermione arrived at the Great Hall to find the tables had disappeared. She saw Ron and Harry near the front and hastened to join them.

"Morning Mione," greeted Harry.

"We thought you weren't going to make it for a moment," said Ron.

"I got distracted," whispered Hermione.

Harry and Ron both exchanged a look. Before the brunette could chide them a Ministry Wizard stepped up and began to speak to the sixth years.

"Morning everyone," he said. "My name is Wilkie Twycross and I will be your Ministry Instructor for the next twelve weeks. I hope that in this time, I will be able to prepare those of you who will be eligible to take your test later this year..."

"Be quiet Malfoy and pay attention," barked Professor McGonagall.

Everyone looked over to see a red-faced Malfoy shut his mouth and glare at Crabbe. Hermione knew without even looking at him that Harry was staring intently at the blonde Slytherin. Twycross resumed is talk and when he asked them to find a space the brunette saw Harry dart off into a crowd of people. She knew he was off to stand near Malfoy and wasn't looking forward to whatever he would come back with.

Twycross called for silence and he walked them through the process of apparating. Hermione listened intently. When he gave the order for everyone to try and apparate into a hoop placed in front of them, she closed her eyes to concentrate. Going over all the instructions in her mind, she turned on the spot and felt the familiar feeling of apparation. She felt panicked slightly, but gained control of herself and when Hermione opened her eyes she was stood inside her hoop. Looking around she saw some people had merely jumped into their hoops and others were on the floor, clearly having fallen over. Ron was staring at her open-mouthed.

"Wow, Mione, you did it," he said, gob-smacked.

"Very well done, young lady," said Twycross over the heads of everyone.

Hermione felt herself turn slightly red as all eyes looked to her. All eyes except Harry's, he instead looked lost in thought, his eyes flicking towards Malfoy and then back to his hoop.

"Right then, everyone. Let us all try that again," shouted Twycross to regain their attention.

An hour later the sixth years emerged from the Great Hall, some of them rubbing bruised backsides.

"I really thought I was beginning to get the hang of it by the end," said an animated Ron.

Hermione wasn't paying attention; she was looking at Harry and waiting for him to start on his 'Malfoy is a Death Eater' theory. He didn't disappoint and as soon as they were in a deserted corridor he pulled them both aside into an empty classroom.

"Malfoy is using Crabbe and Goyle as lookouts," he said, a slightly deranged look in his eye.

"Wait, what?" replied Ron, looking lost.

"I just overheard Malfoy having a go at Crabbe. Apparently he doesn't think him and Goyle are doing a good enough job of keeping guard. I think Crabbe was complaining that he found it boring," Harry explained.

Ron just looked confused. "I...I don't get it."

"Don't you see," hissed Harry, looking manic, "Malfoy is clearly up to something and he is getting Crabbe and Goyle to help him."

Neither Hermione, nor Ron looked convinced, causing Harry to get angrier.

"It all slots into place. Malfoy was going on about not being at Hogwarts next year to Pansy Parkinson on the train. Then he's been acting really odd and he was caught sneaking around by Filch the night of Slughorn's party. Why would he lie about trying to gate-crash the party? We then overheard him having an argument with Snape and Snape was offering his help. Why would he offer Malfoy help unless Malfoy was up to something? And now Malfoy is arguing with his two best friends about them being lookouts. Why does he need a lookout unless he's hiding something?"

Ron opened his mouth, thought for a moment and then shut it again. Instead he looked to Hermione for help.

The brunette sighed. "Yes, Malfoy is acting odd, but that doesn't mean he's a Death Eater, or that he's up to something bad."

Harry growled in frustration. "Fine, don't believe me. I'll prove it to you."

"But, Harry how..." Hermione tried to say, but before she could say anything he was shouting.

"Kreacher," he yelled.

With a crack, the old house-elf appeared, followed by Dobby.

"Harry Potter, sir, what an honour it is," squeaked Dobby.

"Hi Dobby," replied Harry.

"What does Master Potter want," said Kreacher, muttering under his breath. Hermione knew it wasn't going to be anything nice.

"I need you to follow Malfoy and tell me what he's up to," ordered Harry. "You are not allowed to communicate to him in anyway, that includes passing notes or telling anyone to pass a message to him, do you understand?"

Hermione made to protest, but Harry held up a hand stopping her. Kreacher's brow was furrowed as he clearly tried to think of a loophole, but when he couldn't come up with one he scowled and nodded.

"Yes Master Potter," spat Kreacher, letting it be known he wasn't happy to be following the Chosen One's orders.

"I'll help top," piped up Dobby.

Harry nodded his appreciation. "That would be great, Dobby, so long as it doesn't get you in trouble."

The little elf nodded his head, causing his ears to flap.

"Well, off you go then," said Harry.

Both house-elves bowed, one more enthusiastically than the other and disapparated.

"Harry..." began Hermione.

"Save it," growled Harry. "You'll see I'm right when they come back and then I will welcome your apology."

Without another word he stormed off, leaving Hermione and Ron in the classroom.

"This is mad," said Ron, simply.

The brunette nodded in agreement. "I'm going back to the cottage."

They headed back to the Common Room and Hermione said goodbye as she headed up to the dormitories. Harry was sat with a dark look on his face, but she refused to acknowledge him. Hermione was getting a bit bored of his attitude. Once upstairs she grabbed the Portkey and landed in the living room of the cottage.

Fleur was sat on the sofa, fast asleep with papers scattered all around her. Smiling at the sight, the brunette leaned down and carefully stroked her lover's face. The blonde stirred and opened her eyes.

"You're back," she murmured, sounding half-asleep. "How did it go?"

"Well, I managed to apparate on my first attempt," replied Hermione.

Fleur sat up, allowing the brunette to cuddle up to her. "Of course you did. As if there was any doubt."

The brunette kissed her. She loved how supportive her mate was.

"There was something else," said Hermione, biting her lip. "Harry has it in his head still that Malfoy is up to no good. During the lesson, he went and stood behind him and then told us that he overheard Malfoy arguing with Crabbe about the latter being a lookout, or something. Either way, Harry is still thinking that he's a Death Eater and now he's ordered two house-elves to follow Malfoy around to find out what he's up to."

The blonde whistled. "Wow, he's really lost it, hasn't he?" Hermione shot her a look. "I'm serious, ma belle. He has become so fixated on this, it's getting a little worrying. Have you ever known him to be this paranoid and obsessed with something?"

Hermione hesitated. "Well...he was with Snape in our first year and maybe with Sirius when we all thought he was out to get Harry, but never to this extent. I just don't know what to do." She buried her head in her hands.

Fleur rubbed her back and kissed her head. "There's not much you can do. It will run its course. Either Harry will be proved right, or he will be wrong, you just have to be as supportive as you can be, but without encouraging him too much."

"I guess you're right," replied Hermione.

They stayed cuddled up on the sofa for a while, before Fleur untangled herself and went to the kitchen to get dinner started. The brunette was left to ponder the day's events and to worry about her friend's state of mind.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Well this was a lot longer than I expected! I meant to cover more than this in this particular chapter, but found if I cut it down it would not be doing it justice. Therefore, I have just shifted bits into the next chapter which means we could have more than the twenty-two I had planned. I also know that this is the second update today. I am trying to make up for my ridiculously long absence and also to follow through on my promise to finish this by the end of the summer. Anyways thank you all for your support and I hope you enjoy. Disclaimer: All characters (except Aurelie, Sabine, Guinevere and the cousins belong to J.K. Rowling.**

Hermione watched Harry very carefully over the next few weeks. He seemed relatively normal, but every time he saw Malfoy he would lose focus on what he was doing. There was a manic glint in his eye that the brunette found disturbing. He had had no success at getting Slughorn to hand over the memory, merely just holding back after Potions to ask, but Slughorn kept hurrying out of the room. It had been weeks since Harry had been given the task by Dumbledore and Hermione was wondering whether it was a certain obsession which was distracting Harry.

Kreacher and Dobby had not been back to give a report on Malfoy yet, a fact that was beginning to irritate Harry. He was impatient at the best of times, but he was becoming almost unbearable. Hermione had shared more of her concerns with Fleur. The blonde had tried to be reassuring, but even she could see how bothered her girlfriend was by his behaviour.

Fleur was becoming busier and busier. Things may have calmed down with Guinevere, but the Delacour Coven was on full alert and trying to establish a safe route for anyone out of Britain. One weekend, shortly after Harry had ordered Kreacher and Dobby to follow Malfoy, the blond had had to stay in France. Hermione understood, but she couldn't help but miss her lover desperately. She decided to stay at Hogwarts for the weekend, rather than spend it alone at the cottage and part of her was apprehensive about the possibility of Sabine showing up.

There had been no contact from the dark-haired Veela and despite her best efforts to forget about her, Hermione would spend some quiet evenings before she went to sleep looking out of the window and worrying about her. Then she would remember what happened at Christmas and she felt sickened.

When she went down to the Great Hall for breakfast, she found an irritable Ron, glaring into his porridge.

"Happy Birthday," said Hermione, upon seeing him. She handed over the present she had got him, which he took. "What's the matter with you?" she asked.

"I'm annoyed our Hogsmeade weekend was cancelled. I was looking forward to it," replied Ron. "It was going to be today. Some birthday treat."

"That's hardly surprising, after what happened to Katie Bell," said Hermione. "She's not even out of the hospital yet."

The redhead just continued to look at his porridge as though it had personally insulted him. At this moment Harry came in and immediately looked around the Hall. The brunette knew exactly what he was doing.

"Malfoy isn't here," she said. "He hasn't been in yet."

Harry threw her a look, but didn't say anything in response. He threw himself into a seat next to Ron and uttered a quick happy birthday. They finished up their breakfast in silence and then returned to the Common Room. Hermione immediately set to work on her Transfiguration homework. The boys, on the other hand, once more forgot about their homework and set to playing a game of Wizards Chess, culminating in a complete defeat for Harry. Hermione had been watching him the entire time and it was clear he was distracted.

"Load up the board again, I've just got to grab something from the dormitory and put my present from Hermione upstairs," said Ron.

He raced off whilst Harry slowly repaired the pieces and reset the board. Hermione sat and looked at him. He was paler and his eyes were bloodshot and red, as if he wasn't getting a restful night's sleep. She refocused her attention on her essay, but after a while realised that there was no sign of Ron.

"Ron's been gone a while," she said to Harry.

He looked at her, then at the staircase. "You're right. I'll go check where he is."

Harry got up and trudged across the Common Room and up the stairs. A short while later he reappeared looking anxious.

"You've got to come with me now," he whispered urgently.

Startled, she put her quill down and followed Harry up to the dormitory. Once inside she saw Ron sat on the carpet cross-legged with a dreamy expression on his face.

"What the..." started Hermione, looking to Harry for an explanation.

"He's eaten some of these," he replied, showing the brunette a box of chocolate cakes. "I think they're laced with Love Potion."

"Love Potion?" repeated Hermione.

Harry nodded. "Romilda Vane gave them to me ages ago and Ginny told me she'd heard that Romilda had spiked them, because she fancies me and wanted to go Slughorn's Christmas Party. I forgot about them and must have thrown them out of my trunk when I was looking for broomstick polish this morning."

"Wow, that's..wow," stammered the brunette, in complete disbelief. "How the hell did she manage that?"

"One of Fred and George's no doubt. They said that even though their products are banned here their mail system hides them as something else," replied Harry. "What are we going to do?"

"Right, we should get him to Professor Slughorn. He must know an antidote to the potion used," suggested Hermione.

"Okay, yea let's do that," agreed Harry. "Erm...Ron...we're going to see Slughorn."

"Why?" asked Ron in a dreamy voice. "I want to see Romilda."

"Right, well it's probably best to see Slughorn first," said Harry, trying to lift his friend to his feet.

"No," shouted Ron. "I want to see Romilda. I need to tell her I'm in love with her."

"Have you ever actually met her?" asked Harry.

The redhead looked puzzled for a moment. "No. Can you introduce me?"

Hermione had to stifle a giggle at the situation, in particular the looks on both boy's faces.

"Look, Ron, this is ridiculous. Let's just go downstairs and we can sort this all..." Harry tried to say, but before he could finish his sentence Ron turned and punched him.

Harry fell to the floor with his hands over his head, whilst Ron started slapping at every inch of him he could reach. "It's not ridiculous. You said it was ridiculous. It's not, I love her."

The brunette quickly ran over and thumped the redhead on the back of the head. With a grunt he fell onto the rug unconscious. Harry just looked at her stunned.

"Remind me to never get on your bad side," he gulped, now looking at Ron.

She shook her head. "Come on, the quicker we get him to Slughorn, the better. Grab that arm."

They draped an arm each across their shoulders and together half-carried, half-dragged Ron downstairs. Their fellow Gryffindors gave them rather alarmed looks as they managed to make it to the Common Room and all talk stopped as they struggled across the room to the portrait hole.

"Nothing to see here," called out Hermione, wincing as they bashed Ron's head against the top of the portrait hole. "Sorry Ron," she muttered.

Eventually they made it down to Slughorn's office. Harry had had to stop several times to catch his breath. Hermione was feeling fine, her Veela being able to half-carry Ron without difficulty. She knocked on the door of the office and waited. It was the weekend so she expected Slughorn to be inside. If he wasn't she didn't fancy Harry's chances of carrying Ron to the staff room. Finally she heard footsteps on the other side of the door and soon enough Slughorn opened it the smallest amount.

"Miss Granger?" said a surprised Slughorn. "What are you..." He then saw an exhausted Harry. "I'm afraid..I'm not seeing anyone today. No, no, far too busy. So if you'll excuse me..."

He made to shut the door, but Hermione put a hand on the door preventing him. "I'm sorry Professor, but we do need your help please."

She turned to allow Slughorn to see Ron, who was still unconscious and drooling slightly.

"Merlin's beard, what happened?" asked the astonished Professor.

"I hit him on the head," explained Hermione simply.

Slughorn did a double-take and looked at her astonished. "I beg your pardon?"

"I hit him on the head. He had eaten some Cauldron Cakes which had been laced with Love Potion and started attacking Harry when he thought the object of 'love' was being insulted."

"Ah, I see," said Slughorn. "Well, in that case, you better carry him in here."

Harry didn't look too pleased at the prospect of having to heave Ron into the office. The brunette rolled her eyes.

"Must I do everything," she muttered.

Grabbing Ron, she hoisted him over her shoulders and carried him through.

"Put him down there," said Slughorn, gesturing at a sofa by the fireplace. He then turned his attention to his Potions case.

Hermione took the opportunity to gaze around the office. It was clear that the Professor had magically expanded the room. It was larger than McGonagall's by far.

"We need to wake him up," explained Slughorn.

"Right," said Harry. He once more looked to Hermione.

She again rolled her eyes and summoned a small jug of water. Without hesitating she threw it over Ron. The redhead sat up with a jolt and stared around the room.

"Romilda," he shouted, frantically looking around the room for her.

Slughorn stepped forward with a small cup. "There, there Weasley, it's quite alright. The young lady is on her way."

Ron looked up at Slughorn with sheer excitement. "She is?"

"Yes," nodded the Professor. "Here, have this," he said, holding out the cup, "a bit of Dutch courage to get you through."

The redhead took the offered cup and downed the substance in one. He had a stupid dreamy look on his face. Seconds passed and then this expression hilariously turned into one of horror.

"What happened?" he demanded, looking to Harry and Hermione for answers.

"You can explain this one," said the brunette, grinning at her friend.

Harry began to tell Ron exactly what had happened and by the end the redhead had hidden his face in his hands from sheer embarrassment.

"Now, now, it's quite alright Weasley. You're young and these things happen. How about some of Madam Rosmerta's oak-matured mead?" Slughorn quickly headed over to a drinks cabinet in the corner and pulled out a bottle and four glasses.

"Professor!" said Hermione, shocked that he would be offering students alcohol, but he ignored her.

Slughorn poured some of the drink out into each of the glasses and handed them out. "I was going to give this to Dumbledore for Christmas and ordered it from her especially, but it appears I forgot about that. Oh well, he won't miss it. Here's to young love and the adventures it brings."

Hermione, Harry and Slughorn held their glasses aloft, but a rather pale Ron threw it into his mouth. It took only a second for them to realise something was wrong. The redhead immediately collapsed to the floor and began fitting.

"Ron!" shouted Harry and Hermione together.

They were at his side in an instant as he continued to fit and began to foam at the mouth.

"Professor, do something," yelled Harry, but Slughorn was too horrified by what he was seeing.

"Harry, Harry, go and see if there is a bezoar in his Potions case," ordered Hermione. "Do it now!" she shouted, as he made no sign to move.

He quickly hurried over to the case, whilst the brunette turned Ron onto his side. Slughorn could only splutter and stare, whilst the terrible sound of the redhead choking filled the room. Hermione could hear Harry rummaging around furiously in the Potions kit and was hoping desperately that the Professor kept a bezoar in there. Soon enough Harry came back and threw himself down next to the brunette with the kidney shaped stone in his outstretched hand.

"What do we do?" asked Harry.

Hermione didn't answer. Instead she snatched up the bezoar and shoved into Ron's mouth and held it shut firmly. Ron gave a great shudder and then went limp. For a moment she was terrified that they'd been too late, but soon enough his eyes opened and he began coughing. Both Harry and Hermione gave great sighs of relief and Slughorn collapsed onto the sofa, clutching at his chest.

"Wait here with him," said Hermione. "I'll go get Madam Pomfrey and explain what's happened. Do not touch that bottle."

The brunette sped off as fast as she could and charged into the Hospital Wing.

"Miss Granger, what is the meaning of..." spluttered the Hogwarts matron.

"Ron Weasley has been poisoned," said Hermione. "He drank some mead given to us all by Professor Slughorn and he drank it and collapsed. He started fitting and frothing at the mouth."

Madam Pomfrey only hesitated for half a second. "Where is he?"

Hermione led the way down to Slughorn's office. Once they arrived she hurried over to Ron, who was now sat on the couch. She got out her wand and sent a Patronus off somewhere and then turned her attention to checking the redhead.

A few moments later McGonagall appeared in the doorway, looking as if she had sprinted all the way from her office.

"Poppy, what on earth has gone on here?" asked the Scottish witch.

"Will you explain, Miss Granger?" asked Madam Pomfrey.

The brunette nodded and filled McGonagall in, leaving out the reason why they were there in the first place. Once she had finished explaining their Professor looked as horrified as Slughorn.

"Where...where is this bottle now?"

Slughorn levitated it with his wand. "Here. I don't..I don't understand. I ordered it for Dumbledore for Christmas and forgot to give it to him. It came straight from Madam Rosmerta and hasn't left my cabinet."

"And the rest of you didn't drink any?" asked McGonagall.

They shook their heads. The Transfiguration Professor looked as puzzled as the rest of them.

"Well, I will take Mr Weasley to the Hospital Wing," said Madam Pomfrey, after she was satisfied there was no more imminent danger. "I'm going to keep him in for a few days, just for observation, but I'm happy that there seems to be no further danger. Lucky there was a bezoar on hand."

McGonagall nodded and looked at Hermione. "Lucky that Miss Granger knows what to do in a crisis." She gave the tiniest of smiles.

Madam Pomfrey waved her wand and a stretcher appeared. She shot down Ron's protests and ordered him onto it with a look that rivalled McGonagall's. The Scottish witch took the mead and followed out of Slughorn's office. He was looking in shock at the spot where Ron had collapsed. Harry suddenly seemed to realise something and opened his mouth to speak, but guessing what it was Hermione stopped him.

"Time and place, Harry," she murmured. "He's just watched one of his students collapse from poison from his bottle of mead. Maybe now's not the time to be asking about that memory."

He looked like he was going to argue for a moment, but then shut his mouth and nodded. Together the two of them left Slughorn, quickly muttering their thanks and headed up to the Hospital Wing.

A few hours later they were sat besides Ron's bed, along with Fred, George and Ginny. The Weasley family had all been notified and the twins had arrived shortly afterwards. Mr and Mrs Weasley had already seen Ron and were now with Dumbledore.

"So, Slughorn definitely didn't add anything to Ron's drink?" asked Fred, looking at Hermione and Harry.

The brunette shook her head. "No, there's no way he could have done. He opened the bottle right in front of us and you could clearly see the seal was intact. Anyway, why would he want to poison Ron of all people?"

George shrugged. "He could have been trying to get Harry. He is the Chosen One after all."

"I don't think so," said Harry. "He's had plenty of opportunity this year. Why would he?"

They fell into silence as they contemplated things.

"You don't think someone's trying to bump off the Gryffindor Quidditch team?" suggested George. "I mean first Katie with that necklace and now this."

"Highly unlikely," said Hermione. "That would be extreme."

"You're right," replied Fred. "Although I reckon Wood would have been a possibility if he'd been desperate enough."

No one laughed at this little joke. They were all still shaken from the day's events.

"Mind you, I definitely think there is some sort of connection between the two," said the brunette.

They all turned to look at her.

"How do you figure that?" asked Ginny, frowning.

"Well, to start with, neither victim was the intended target," explained Hermione. "Katie was trying to deliver the necklace to someone at the castle and Slughorn was planning on giving the bottle to Dumbledore. He told us he requested it for him. And another thing, they were both supposed to be fatal, but weren't."

"But...but that makes whoever this is more dangerous. They don't seem to care who they hurt," said Ginny in a small voice.

Before anyone else could respond the doors to the Hospital Wing flew open and Fleur came rushing in. Hermione threw herself into the blonde's arms and held on tightly. She hadn't realised how much she needed her mate.

"How...how did you..." said the brunette.

"McGonagall," said Fleur, simply. "She sent a quick message to me explaining what happened and I came as soon as I could. How is he?"

The couple came and rejoined the others.

"He's going to make a full recovery," replied Fred, "thanks to your girlfriend here."

The blonde smile warmly and hugged Hermione even tighter.

"Well, I think we will make a move, now that we know our little brother is safe," said Fred, standing along with George.

"Thanks, Hermione," murmured George. "Thanks for saving his life."

The brunette didn't know what to say, so she just nodded.

Ginny stood up as well. "I think I'll call it a night too. Thanks Mione."

The three Weasleys said their goodbyes to Harry and Fleur and left. Ron muttered something in his sleep, but didn't wake up. Hermione sat with the other two, not saying a word. She clutching Fleur's hand tightly, never wanting her to let go. The doors opened again Hagrid came into the room.

"I've only just heard," he said in his booming voice. "Can't believe it. What a shock."

"At least he'll be alright though," murmured Ginny.

Hagrid nodded. "Still, that makes two attacks now and Dumbledore doesn't have a clue who's behind it."

Harry quickly looked at the half-giant. "What, not a clue?"

"Well, I expect he has, what with the brain he's got, but nothing concrete. He's got enough on his plate at the moment, what with You-Know-Who being back, these attacks and Snape causing issues."

They all looked at one another as it took Hagrid a moment to realise what he had said.

"Why's Dumbledore angry at Snape?" asked Harry.

Hagrid shifted from foot to foot, a sure sign that he was quickly trying to think of something to cover himself.

"I...er...I... don't know what you're talking about," he stammered.

"You just said it," Harry carried on, "why is Dumbledore angry with Snape?"

"Harry..." tried the brunette, but he ignored her.

"I...I don't know, I wasn't supposed to hear anything. I just...just heard the two of them arguing one evening and heard Snape say that maybe Dumbledore takes..takes advantage too much and that...that maybe he, Snape, didn't want to do it anymore," said Hagrid, looking around nervously.

"What doesn't Snape want to do?" asked Harry, louder this time.

"I don't know, honestly," replied Hagrid. "Dumbledore just mentioned something about Snape making enquiries into his House and keeping an eye on something. That's all I heard. It just sounded like Snape was feeling a bit stressed is all."

"You must have heard something more?" demanded Harry.

The half-giant was beginning to get really agitated, so Hermione leapt to his defence.

"That's enough Harry," she said firmly.

"No, I want to know what was said exactly," snapped Harry.

Fleur immediately intervened. "That's enough. You've all had a stressful day, so I suggest you return to Gryffindor Tower and leave Ron to his rest."

Harry opened his mouth to argue, a furious look on his face, but one glare from the blonde and he backed down. Without another word, he stormed out of the room.

"What's gotten into him?" asked Hagrid, staring after Harry.

"Nothing," said Hermione, reassuringly, "just a bit worked up about everything that's happened. Sorry for how he spoke to you, I'm sure he'll regret it in the morning."

It was a sign of how kind Hagrid was that he merely shrugged. "He's just worried about his friend. Mind you, I know what he gets like with Snape. I hope he doesn't get too fixated."

"Me too," agreed the brunette. "Well, we best be off too. Night Hagrid."

"Night, you two," said the half-giant.

They all left Ron and Hermione and Fleur went up to the brunette's room. It was late by now and most students were asleep, so they weren't worried about the blonde being seen in the castle. They took the portkey to the cottage and headed straight up to bed.

It had been a stressful day and Hermione was only too happy to relax under the covers with Fleur.

"Well, Ron was certainly lucky," said the blonde.

"I agree, very lucky," replied Hermione. "I just can't believe how reckless this person is being."

"And there's no clue as to who is responsible?" asked Fleur.

The brunette shook her head. "None, although Harry is going to think it's Malfoy still, even though there is no evidence to support it."

"You really don't think it's Malfoy?" said the blonde.

"No, I don't," sighed Hermione.

Suddenly she sat up in bed.

"What?" asked a shocked Fleur. "Ma belle, what is it?"

"Dumbledore," said the brunette.

"Er, come again," said Fleur.

"The mead, it was supposed to be delivered to Dumbledore. That's what Slughorn said anyway. He said that he had requested it for Dumbledore," explained Hermione. "And Katie Bell, she told Harry and Ron that she was taking the necklace to someone in the castle. What if that person was Dumbledore?"

The blonde considered her lover's words carefully. "You...you think Dumbledore is the target?"

"I don't know for sure," replied Hermione.

"But who would want to kill him?" asked Fleur, although as soon as she said it, she knew the answer. "Voldemort."

"Who else?" said the brunette. "Voldemort wants to kill Harry, because of this prophecy, but Dumbledore is in the way. With him dead, Harry will be easier to get to, or so he thinks."

"And Malfoy is the one tasked with this?" Fleur didn't look convinced.

Hermione thought for a moment. "No...no I don't think he is. Think about it, Voldemort likes to do things discreetly, to not do the obvious thing. When he came back he spent months pretending he didn't exist, so he could strengthen his side without the Ministry interfering. He likes to distract. Having Malfoy be his pawn in this is far too obvious. Let's say Dumbledore thinks the same as Harry, and believes that Malfoy is the one responsible and that is why he is getting angry with Snape, because he's asked him to keep an eye on Malfoy. Well, if he's so focused on him then he won't be paying any attention to anyone else."

"But, this is all so unlikely," said Fleur.

The brunette put her head in her hands. "I know, I know, but I just can't see Malfoy being a great mastermind behind all of this."

"One thing's for sure, the security around the castle is going to increase in the wake of this," murmured the blonde.

All Hermione could do was nod. "Please can we sleep now."

Fleur leaned back into the pillows, taking the brunette with her. Hermione fell into an uneasy sleep, the events of the day not allowing her mind to settle.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Hello all. One more chapter for you. Again this went on in a lot more detail than I expected and covered events I was just going to brush over, but I was worried that I would be rushing and not doing this story justice. Therefore I've cut it off and will start immediately on the next chapter. This will be a lot longer than anticipated (maybe thirty chapters) but we will see. I have just over 3 weeks to finish, so expect updates to be coming thick and fast the quicker we get to that point. Thank you for your support and I hope you enjoy the latest instalment. Disclaimer: All characters (except Aurelie, Sabine, the cousins and Guinevere) belong to J.K. Rowling.**

Hermione had expected Harry to calm down in the wake of Ron's poisoning, however she knew what he got like and sure enough he seemed to become more obsessed. Over the next week Harry was watching Malfoy's every move as soon as the Slytherin came into view. The brunette attempted to talk to Harry about her own theory, that Malfoy wasn't involved, but it fell on deaf ears.

"You're wrong, Mione," said Harry, stubbornly, when she tried. "It's him, Malfoy, it has to be."

She shook her head and let the matter drop.

Ron was still recovering in the Hospital Wing and was gutted to be missing the next Quidditch match, even more so when he found out that McLaggen was replacing as Keeper. The brunette tried to be reassuring and upbeat, although with little effect.

On the morning of the Quidditch match, she headed down to the pitch with Luna and waited for the match to begin. She had never been interested in the sport, so brought along a book from the library to entertain her. Occasionally she would look up and watch whenever there was a cheer from her fellow Gryffindors and she would immediately look to Harry. She frowned after the first few times as he seemed to be distracted.

Normally he celebrated any goals scored by Gryffindor's chasers, but today he was lost in thought. He almost lost the match too when he was late spotting the Hufflepuff Seeker chasing after the Snitch. It was only because he was on a Firebolt and the other Seeker was on a Cleansweep Eleven that Harry managed to just beat him to the catch, but even after that he didn't celebrate as much as usual and Hermione noticed his smile and laughter didn't reach his eyes.

She waited outside of the Quidditch pitch for Harry and rushed over when she spotted him emerging from the changing rooms. Before she could open her mouth, Harry hurriedly started speaking, his eyes frantic.

"Mione, you will never believe what I saw when I was on my way here?" he said, quickly.

The brunette raised her eyebrows. "Erm, what?"

"Malfoy," said Harry triumphantly.

Hermione had to fight to stop herself from rolling her eyes, or shaking her head. "So?"

"What do you mean, so?" He was beginning to get frustrated. "I've been telling you for months that Malfoy is up to something and here is more proof of what I've been telling you. Malfoy was walking towards the castle, not the Quidditch pitch. He's up to no good, otherwise why else would he be deliberately missing a Quidditch match and returning to the castle when he knows everyone else is going to be watching the match and the castle will be empty. He can sneak around to his heart's content without anyone knowing what he was doing."

"I hardly think that is proof of anything Harry, I'm sorry. He probably just didn't want to watch the match. It was just between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff."

Harry growled in frustration and threw his arms angrily in the air. "Why are you so determined to always pick holes in anything I tell you? Malfoy is a Death Eater, I know he is and you're just too stupid to see it."

"Now hold on a minute," snapped Hermione, beginning to get angry herself.

"No, no I won't," he shouted back. "You know what, I don't need this from you, I need friends who are going to be supportive. I'm going to see Ron, he'll understand what I'm saying."

Without another word he stormed off in the direction of the castle leaving an angry and shocked Hermione behind.

"What was all that about?" asked Ginny, who had just come out of the changing rooms herself.

"Nothing, just Harry being...Harry." The brunette sighed. "He's becoming obsessed with whatever Malfoy is doing and won't listen to anything anyone says."

Ginny frowned. "Does this have anything to do with him nearly missing the match?"

"What are you talking about?" Hermione frowned.

"He turned up late," explained the redhead. "We were all ready to go and thought we were going to have to forfeit the match, because he was missing, when he suddenly ran into the changing rooms. I asked him why he was late and he said something about Malfoy. He didn't seem to care that we almost had to hand the match to Hufflepuff."

Hermione bit her lip. Harry loved Quidditch and loved playing it. If his obsession with Malfoy was causing him to want to miss matches then it was becoming a real concern, not least the way he had spoken to her just now.

"We'll just have to keep an eye on him," said the brunette, finally. "It's the only thing we can do, because right now reason and logic are failing him."

Nodding in agreement, Ginny walked with Hermione back up to the castle, neither one saying anything about their concerns for Harry's worrying behaviour.

XXXXX

Over the next few weeks Harry became more and more distant with Hermione. She tried talking to him, but he was adamant that she was being overly negative and kept shutting down any conversation with her.

The brunette shared her feelings with Fleur, who tried to be reassuring although it was clear that Harry's behaviour towards Hermione was making her angry.

"You will just have to leave him be for now," said the blonde. "You know what he gets like. Remember the Ministry last year. It's a similar thing again and I don't think any of these newspaper articles declaring him 'The Chosen One' are helping in any way. They are giving him an inflated ego, which is doing nothing for that stubborn streak and hero complex he's got."

Hermione knew her lover was right, but she couldn't help worrying about where this fixation might lead, especially after the events of the previous year.

Harry had still been unable to obtain the memory from Slughorn, so panicked when a scroll arrived with the time of his next lesson with Dumbledore. Hermione had been watching him and she knew that he had forgotten all about it and only now worried about what Dumbledore would say. It did, however, have the benefit of making him forget about how angry he was with the brunette, so they were at least on speaking terms with each other again. Like Ron, she wished him good luck as he left for Dumbledore's office and they waited for him to get back. When he did he looked drained.

"What was it this time?" asked Ron, as Harry joined them in the Common Room.

"He showed me Voldemort as a young man, working for Borgin and Burkes," said Harry.

"You Know Who worked for Borgin and Burkes?" said Ron, sounding shocked. "Well, if I didn't like that place before I certainly don't now."

"What was the significance of that?" asked Hermione.

"It wasn't the job, per se, it was more how he operated," explained Harry. "He was...charming, for use of a better word. We saw this memory of Voldemort visiting this old witch, Hephzibah Smith. You should have seen how he was with her. I would call it flirting, if I could."

Ron held up a hand. "Erm, moment to vomit please. Voldemort, flirting? That's disgusting."

"He didn't mean it," Harry went on. "She was an old woman so probably liked the attention and he used that to get whatever he wanted."

"To show you how easily people can be charmed and manipulated by him," said Hermione.

Harry nodded. "She couldn't do enough for him. He asked her to show him this cup and necklace she owned. The cup belonged to Helga Hufflepuff and the necklace was Salazar Slytherin's..."

"His obsession with trophies," interjected the brunette. "My goodness, you really do get an insight into his personality."

Ron looked confused. "Say what?"

Hermione sighed. "Think about it Ron. Voldemort was an orphan, growing up with nothing in that orphanage. He learns that he is special, in a way, because he's a wizard and goes to this school to learn about magic. We already know he likes collecting trophies, because he took all those things from the other children in the home. Then he learns about his family, the fact his father was a muggle and his mother was descended from Slytherin and kills his father to hide the fact he's half-muggle. He probably fixated on the Slytherin bloodline. He would want both those objects because of who they are associated with. If there's anything we know about Voldemort it's that he craves power over others."

"That's exactly what happened," said Harry. "Smith showed him the objects and you could see the change in his eyes. It was scary. A few days later she turned up murdered and the house elf was arrested."

"What?" said Hermione and Ron together.

"Yep, he did the same thing as he did with his uncle and planted the memory in the house-elf's head. She admitted the whole thing, lacing her mistress' tea with poison. To top it all off the cup and the necklace were missing. It wasn't long after that, that Voldemort quit his job and went travelling."

There was a moment's silence as they contemplated everything.

"What happened to him after that?" asked Ron.

"Well, he disappeared for a while and then he showed up at Hogwarts," said Harry.

Ron frowned. "What was he doing here?"

"Looking for a job," replied Harry, simply. "He wanted the Defence Against the Dark Arts job, but Dumbledore refused. He said that he had heard rumours about what Voldemort was doing and that he had changed his name and he also told Voldemort that he knew he had a group who followed him called Death Eaters."

"Dumbledore didn't give him the job, surely," said Ron.

Harry shook his head. "He refused. He said that he wasn't convinced that Voldemort wanted to teach and implied it was rather to manipulate young minds to his way of thinking. Voldemort then left, I thought for a moment he was going to jinx Dumbledore."

Hermione was stunned and for the first time in a long time was thankful for Dumbledore. Who knew how devastating it could have been if Voldemort had been given a teaching position at Hogwarts.

Ron let out a whistle. "Phew, that was a close one then."

"The strange thing is, Dumbledore said that after that the curse on the Defence Against the Dark Arts post began. No one held it for more than a year."

"Huh, well if that doesn't make you realise how creepy and evil You Know Who is," murmured Ron.

They fell into silence once more. Hermione couldn't help but think that the more they learned about Voldemort, the more dangerous he seemed.

"So, er...what did Dumbledore say about that Slughorn memory?" asked Ron, with a small amount of trepidation.

"Oh...that. Well, he wasn't best pleased with me. I admitted that it hadn't been a priority lately and he just nodded, in that way he does. He told me I need to try harder and make sure I get it, because it's the last piece in the puzzle."

"What puzzle?" said Ron, looking to Hermione.

"The puzzle that is Voldemort, I would guess," replied the brunette. "It's clear that these lessons are supposed to teach Harry about what Voldemort is like. If you can understand your opponent then you have more chance of beating them."

Ron's eyebrows shot up. "Well, it's plain creepy if you ask me. Good luck Harry."

"Gee, thanks," muttered Harry.

Before the redhead could apologise there was a crack and Dobby and Kreacher suddenly appeared. Hermione jumped up out of her chair with her wand raised before she realised who it was.

"We've come to deliver our report Harry Potter," squeaked Dobby, bowing deeply.

Harry was frozen for a moment, before sitting up eagerly. Hermione immediately noticed that manic glint was back in his eyes.

"Go on," demanded Harry, eagerly.

Before Dobby could open his mouth, Kreacher interjected, clearly feeling annoyed at the younger house-elf.

"Master Malfoy behaves in a way that befits his noble heritage..." began Kreacher, but Harry interrupted.

"Nope, Dobby can tell it," ordered Harry. "We don't need to know how amazing Malfoy is.

Dobby bowed again. "Mister Malfoy sleeps in his dormitory, goes to lessons and eats in the Great Hall, but for long periods of free time he is missing..."

"Missing?" asked Harry. "How can he be missing?"

Ron shrugged. "Dunno mate. Could be using one of the secret passageways to get out of school?"

The younger house-elf shook his head. "It took Dobby a while, but he found where Mister Malfoy was going."

"Where?" demanded Harry, angrily.

"The Room of Requirement," said Dobby, with triumph.

Harry's mouth fell open. "What's he doing in there?"

Dobby's face fell. "I'm afraid the magic of the room won't allow me in Harry Potter."

"It's alright Dobby, it's not your fault," said Hermione, sympathetically. "You've done well, you both have. Haven't they Harry?"

Harry took a moment to register he had been spoken to. "What? Oh yes, very well. You can go, thank you."

With another bow, Kreacher's more reluctant than Dobby's both house-elves departed.

Hermione knew better than to stick around for this bit. Harry's eyes were moving frantically and she didn't want to be around to listen to whatever he was going to say about what Malfoy could be up to.

"I'm going to bed," she said, finally. "I'll see you both in the morning."

Harry suddenly looked up. "You are? Aren't you going to stay and work out with us what Malfoy could be doing for Voldemort."

"No. Considering the way you spoke to my last time, I see no point in staying in so you can be rude," said Hermione. "Goodnight."

Leaving a rather shocked Harry and Ron behind, she headed to the spiral staircase and to her room. One of them would fill her in tomorrow, there was no doubt, but she would stay quiet this time. It was clear to Harry that Malfoy was up to something, but it was clear to Hermione that he wasn't. It just didn't make sense to her that Voldemort would select a sixteen-year old boy for whatever mission he had in mind, and certainly not to kill Dumbledore. Malfoy may be involved, but he was by no means the mastermind. 


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: And here is the next one. I did say thick and fast right? So, again, not all events covered in this chapter and I felt like I was losing part of the story, because there hasn't been anything to move the Veela side of the story along in a while, so I've added that in here. I don't want to just rewrite the series from Hermione's perspective and that's what I felt I was doing with this chapter and a couple of the other ones. I think that's because there is less of a Veela presence in this story, what with Sabine's absence, everything with the Veela is happening out of view of Hermione, as it were, but hopefully I've recaptured that here. Thank you so much for you support and any comments are appreciated. It always helps to have your thoughts on things. I hope you enjoy this next chapter. Disclaimer: All characters (except Sabine, Aurelie, the cousins and Guinevere) belong to J.K. Rowling**

The following day found Hermione being greeted in the Common Room by an agitated Harry and an anxious looking Ron. She took a deep breath as she headed over, knowing that she was about to find out what Harry had said the previous evening.

"Mione, thank goodness you're down," said Harry, before she could even open her mouth to offer a good morning. "Right, so we, that's me and Ron, have discussed it all last night and we've come up with a plan."

The brunette knew from just looking at the redhead that he hadn't been involved in any discussion nor had he had any input in the devising of the plan.

"So," Harry went on, "it's obvious that Malfoy is definitely up to something, which is what I've been telling you both for who knows how long. Him going and spending hours in the Room of Requirement shows he's doing something in there, what that is we don't know. Therefore the only thing for it is for us to try and get in."

Hermione sighed. "Harry, you heard Dobby last night. He couldn't get into the room and he has house-elf magic. How are we supposed to get in?"

"I've got it all figured out," replied Harry, waving her question away with his hand. "We just ask the room to show us where Malfoy is and the door will appear."

"I don't think it works that way..." started the brunette, but she was interrupted.

"No, no it will," interjected Harry. "You'll both see it will and then I can prove that I am right and Malfoy is doing something. So, the plan is that we are going to come up with a rota."

"A rota," repeated Hermione.

Harry nodded enthusiastically. "Yep, a rota. Now I've looked at it and whenever Malfoy has a free period, at least one of us is free. He'll head to the Room of Requirement and we will have a rota so that one of us follows him. We can then get into the Room and see what he's up to, or if we can't do that then we can stand guard outside until he comes out. We will have to negotiate meal times so that we all get fed, but it should work. Of course, we will have to watch how late he stays because we don't want to get caught out of bed, but we could always use the Invisibility Cloak."

She didn't know what it was, maybe it was the fact that he had been going on about this theory for so long, or maybe it was his arrogant attitude, but something in Hermione snapped.

"Right, that's enough," she said firmly. "For months now you have been banging on about Malfoy and I'm sick and tired of hearing about how you're right and we can apologise to you. I will not take part in some ridiculous plan to spend time keeping tabs on that boy. There is no proof that he's up to anything untoward, just your hunch. I for one don't think it's Malfoy at all. Voldemort is a fan of deceit and subtly, so there is no way he is going to use Malfoy, who by the way is about as subtle as flying brick. I'm sorry Harry, but I will not support you in this."

Without another word, she left, knowing that he was about to explode in a fit of rage. Hermione did feel bad for Ron and would apologise to him later, because the redhead would undoubtedly get the brunt of whatever rant Harry was about to unleash.

Arriving at the Great Hall, she spotted Ginny sat at the table and hurried over to join her.

"What happened?" asked the redhead, as soon as Hermione sat down.

The brunette pulled a face. "There's been a development with Harry's theory about Malfoy and now he's got it into his head to come up with a rota to keep tabs on him."

"He's what?" said Ginny, open-mouthed. "He's lost it, he's totally lost it."

Hermione couldn't help but privately agree. "I just don't know what to do anymore."

"I don't think there is much you can do," murmured the redhead. "I just don't get how he behaved the way he did last year with the Ministry, leading us there, and then it go so wrong and you had that go at him and he still won't see reason. I just don't get it."

Just then, Harry and Ron appeared. They spotted Hermione and Harry immediately stalked off, with a rather sheepish and apologetic Ron going after him.

"Leave him be for now, Mione," suggested Ginny. "There will come a time when he can be reasoned with, but until then it's probably best to give him a wide berth. So, you've got that Hogsmeade Apparation lessons today haven't you?"

The brunette welcomed the change in topic and tried to summon up the enthusiasm for going into Hogsmeade, but she couldn't. Her mind was too focused on worrying about Harry and how far this obsession would take him.

XXXXX

For the next few weeks Hermione took Ginny's advice and stayed away from Harry as much as possible. He seemed to be caught between talking to her and being angry at her, so he always looked conflicted whenever he saw her. She shared what happened with Fleur at the next opportunity and the blonde looked ready to march up to school to give him a piece of her mind.

"That wouldn't achieve anything," said Hermione, as she wrestled to keep Fleur on the couch and away from the front door.

"Perhaps not, but he might think twice about treating you like this," growled the blonde. "After all you've supported him through, I thought he would respect you and your opinion more than this."

"He's just...just..." But Hermione didn't know what she wanted to say.

"Well, you listen to what Ginny said. Just stay away from him, at least until he's apologised. And there is no way you should apologise to him," said Fleur. "If he says anything like this again, I want to know."

The brunette nodded, but secretly decided to not tell her lover a thing, for fear that she would actually turn up in the Great Hall or the Gryffindor Common Room.

XXXXX

The day of the Apparation Test arrived and the brunette was looking forward to escaping from the castle for more than just a weekend with Fleur. Hermione saw Ron as she reached the Entrance Hall and he walked over to her.

"Hey," he said as a way of greeting. "Look, I'm really sorry about Harry and I'm sorry if it seems like I'm siding with him, it's just I'm worried about him. He's acting really strange and I don't want you to think I'm choosing him over you, because I'm not. I just...I don't know really, I just feel like if he doesn't have anyone then it will just get worse."

Hermione was stunned. She had never heard Ron speak in this way, or apologise to her. "Erm...wow that's...you don't need to apologise. You're just being a good friend, better than I am."

Ron shook his head. "I don't think so. You're the one that is doing the right thing, I don't know whether entertaining this theory is a good thing, but if I point that out like you, then he will isolate himself entirely."

"You know, Ron, you've really matured and grown up," said the brunette, smiling warmly.

"I don't know about that," laughed the redhead, "but we've been friends for years, so you were bound to rub off on me sooner, or later."

They both laughed. They noticed that the other students taking the test were leaving and hastened to follow.

Spring was well and truly on the way as they enjoyed the walk down to Hogsmeade, laughing like there wasn't any Voldemort, or worries about Harry. Once they got there they were ticked off on a register by a Ministry official, who explained that the test involved being given a series of destinations around Hogsmeade which they had to apparate to. To pass the test they merely had to reach all these destinations unscathed.

They were soon divided into groups. Ron was in a different one to Hermione, so they quickly wished one another luck and Hermione followed the Ministry official in charge of her group away from the main street. The group stopped outside a quaint cottage with ivy growing up the side and the official got them to stand in a line in order of the names on her sheet. One by one she called each student up and gave them a destination.

As the number of students thinned, Hermione began to get nervous, she always did before tests. Her name was suddenly called and she felt her legs go to jelly as she approached the official.

"Your first destination, is just outside Madam Puddifoot's tea shop," explained the official. "Just outside, you hear. We don't need you landing in someone's Victoria sponge."

Hermione nodded and stepped back a bit. Remembering all of Twycross' lessons and reminding herself that she had done this before, the brunette focused on Madam Puddifoot's. Turning, she felt the sensation of being squeezed down a tube and a split second later felt her feet hit solid ground. Opening her eyes, she saw a sign showing she had arrived at her destination.

"Well done, Miss Granger," said another Ministry official with a clipboard. "You've arrived in one piece and with no signs of splinching, good. Your next spot is outside the old Zonko's joke shop."

Nodding her understanding, the brunette repeated the process and soon found herself looking at the boarded up Zonko's. She felt saddened at the sight of this once popular shop. It was a stark reminder of the time she lived in, that a place that caused such joy was now gone.

"Excellent, you've arrived safely." Turning Hermione saw another official with a clipboard. "Only two more to go Miss Granger and you're done. Your next destination is around the corner at Scrivenshaft's, the quill shop."

"I know it," said Hermione.

Once more she focused on her destination, like Twycross had taught them and landed outside the shop.

"And another safe arrival. You're my first one to make it this far," said the official. "You're final test is to get from here to the restaurant, La Veela."

The brunette smiled to herself. She twisted and landed just outside the place that she had fond memories of.

"Congratulations, Miss Granger, you have passed your Apparation Test," said the last official. "If you could please sign this paper, we will process it and your Apparation licence will be sent to you via owl. Please allow five working days."

Hermione couldn't help but smile broadly as she signed the page. She had passed her test and wondered how Ron was getting on.

"As if there was any doubt," said a familiar voice.

She whirled around and saw Fleur leaning up against the wall.

"Fleur," shouted Hermione, wrapping her arms tightly around her lover. "I thought you were at work."

"As if I would miss celebrating my intended passing her Apparation. No, I wanted to be here to celebrate with you, if only briefly. I know you have to return to school. Congratulations." The blonde leaned down and kissed her lover chastely. The Ministry official didn't know where to look.

"I love you," murmured Hermione against Fleur's lips.

"Mmm, I love you too," replied the blonde. "Let me walk you back towards the meeting point?"

They strolled hand in hand back towards the outskirts of the village.

"So, how has Harry been?" asked Fleur.

The brunette sighed. "He's fixated more than ever. I just don't know what to do." Hermione couldn't remember feeling this helpless.

"I'm still not happy with how he's treating you, ma belle," said the blonde, anger clear in her tone. "I just wish that we could be together more, so I can keep an eye on you."

"You have a job to do. You can't spend all your time with me and besides, you'd really lose your temper and that wouldn't do any good." Hermione watched Fleur's face, but it seemed as if she was distracted. "What's really going on?"

The blonde bit her lip. They had reached where everyone was gathered, but Fleur stopped walking so they were just out of earshot.

"There's been a sighting," she whispered.

Hermione felt her stomach drop. "A sighting? What do you mean?" Although the brunette was sure Fleur could only be talking about one person, judging by her facial expression.

"Sabine," murmured the blonde. "She was seen, in London."

"I see," said Hermione.

Fleur looked shocked. "I...I thought you'd be more...I don't know, worried? Concerned?"

"Well, Sabine's made her bed. She betrayed the family. Why should we care?" The betrayal caused a nasty taste in Hermione's mouth. "Besides I thought you would be more for exiling her from the family.

"I was angry, don't get me wrong, and she has a lot of explaining to do. I just think she needs that chance to explain herself, before we send her into exile." Fleur sighed. "She wasn't with Aurelie. She was on her own, somewhere called Vauxhall Road, at least I think that's the name."

"Vauxhall Road? What was she doing there?" asked the brunette.

The blonde shrugged. "Not a clue. As soon as it was reported to us, some of us went along to check, but she was long gone by the time we got there."

"She doesn't want to be found, love," said Hermione.

They fell into an uneasy silence. The brunette felt a squirm of guilt as she thought about the diary and Sabine's visit to Hogwarts. She had just decided to tell Fleur everything when Ron came over, looking livid.

"I suppose you passed?" asked Ron, scowling.

"Er...yes...what happened in yours?" replied Hermione.

He said nothing for a moment and the brunette thought that would be it, but suddenly he shouted, "Half an eyebrow! Half a sodding eyebrow!"

Fleur was trying desperately not to laugh, but the corners of her mouth were twitching, so the brunette elbowed her in the ribs.

"Looks like it's time for you to go, ma belle," murmured the blonde, as the group began to head back to the castle. Ron had walked off, talking loudly to himself about how unfair his test had been.

Hermione laughed. "Think of me whilst I walk back with him and consider that I have an entire evening of listening to him go on and on about this."

The blonde started laughing too. "Oh don't worry, I will think of you when I need cheering up. I look forward to you telling me all about it this weekend."

"And why would you need cheering up?" asked the brunette, puzzled.

"Because I'm away from you," replied Fleur, with a wink.

"Who knew you could get so soppy," laughed Hermione, kissing her lover. "I really should get going, otherwise I won't be able to get into the castle."

The blonde nodded. "You go and I'll see you in a few days."

The couple kissed once more and the brunette turned reluctantly to catch up with a still irate Ron. Fleur watched her go, an apprehensive expression on her face.

"Stay safe, ma belle," she murmured.

Fleur turned as she heard a twig snap in the tree line nearby. She stared trying to make out if it was a threat, but didn't sense one. Figuring it was just a bird, she disapparated. She didn't see Sabine emerge from the trees, watching Hermione put a consoling arm around Ron.

XXXXX

Later that evening, Hermione came into the Common Room and saw Ron sat on his own by the fire. There was no sign of Harry, so she joined in, sliding into a vacant armchair.

"Where's Harry?" she asked, as the redhead looked up from his homework.

"He's keeping an eye on the Room of Requirement. It's all he does, he never put together that rota of his, he just spends all his free time standing outside that room waiting for Malfoy to appear," replied Ron.

"He's not trying to get in?" asked the brunette.

Ron shook his head. "He tried that. For days he tried that, but it wouldn't work, exactly like you said. Doesn't mean he hasn't stopped keeping guard though."

"But, what will that achieve?" Hermione was beginning to get concerned.

"I don't know, but he's determined." He paused. "You don't think...should we tell someone."

"No...no we will just have to keep a close eye on him. This will all figure itself out in the end and we just have to be there when it does," said the brunette.

"And you really don't think there's any truth to his theory?"

Hermione bit her lip. "Do you? I just don't see Voldemort doing it? Why would he?"

"Harry reckons it because he wants to punish Lucius Malfoy for his failure at the Ministry last year," explained the redhead.

"I guess he would want to punish Lucius, but I just don't think he would have accepted Malfoy into the fold, not at his age," reasoned the brunette.

"This is just a mess, isn't it," sighed Ron.

"Just one big one," Hermione agreed.

The portrait hole opened and Harry clambered through, looking frustrated. He flopped down into a chair, not even noticing the brunette sat next to him. Hermione actually heard the sharp intake of breath from Ron as he sat anxiously, waiting to see whether Harry would notice who he had sat next to.

"He was in there for longer this time," said Harry, sounding exhausted. "He must be getting desperate. He looked stressed."

Neither Ron, or Hermione said anything. Finally he looked up and saw the brunette sat there. He clenched his jaw, but said nothing.

"I don't want a fight," said Hermione, holding up her hands.

Harry looked for a moment as if he was going to start shouting, but he went slack and put his head in his hands. "I don't want a fight either."

Ron let out a breath. "So...er...how's it going getting that memory off of Slughorn?"

With a jolt, Harry shot up. "That reminds me, I have a plan." Without saying a word he ran to the stairs and disappeared.

"Do you reckon he's going to let us in on that plan?" asked Ron.

Hermione shrugged. "Not a clue."

Harry reappeared a moment later and hurried over to them. "I'm going to use some of this." From his pocket he took out the little bottle of Felix Felicis he won in the first Potions lesson with Slughorn. "Just a few drops, mind. That should get him to hand over that memory."

"Brilliant," said the brunette, thrilled that he was finally thinking about something else.

Unstopping the cork, Harry raised the bottle to his lips and took a small sip.

"Well," said Ron, "how do you feel?"

"I feel great," replied Harry. "I'm going to go to Hagrid's."

"Say what?" The redhead looked confused. "No, you're supposed to be going to Slughorn."

"No, I have a good feeling about Hagrid's," said Harry. "See you later." Without another word he got up and left.

Ron shared a look with Hermione, who felt just as confused as the redhead looked.

"He knows what he's doing...I think," said the brunette, after a while.

XXXXX

"She's not happy."

"She's never happy, what's new?"

"It's different this time. Did you know she smashed up the entire trophy room?" muttered the first voice.

"Seriously? What's got her into such a strop," said the second.

They both stopped talking as another figure came into the corridor.

"I hope you two guards aren't gossiping?" growled the newcomer.

The guards stood to attention, a slight shaking in their legs.

"No, mistress, of course not," replied one.

"Good, you have more important things to be doing than talking about things that don't concern you," snapped the figure. "We are Veela, you are human. Your entire purpose in this world is to serve us, am I making myself clear?"

"Y...yes...of course, M...Mistress Milena," the guard stammered.

Without a backwards glance, Milena stormed off down the corridor and through a door at the end. The room was a scene of devastation. There wasn't a single piece of furniture that was not broken and all the hangings on the wall had been torn down and destroyed.

"Well, we are clearly in a good mood this evening," said Milena, raising her left eyebrow. There was a scar running through it and down past her eye, disappearing into her hairline. "What's got you in this mood?"

"Dumbledore," came the reply. Purple eyes glinted as a vase was thrown into the fireplace. "He was supposed to be my ally, supposed to help us overthrow Julienne. Now I've heard nothing from him in weeks."

Guinevere had run out of things to throw and smash, so she stood glaring into the flames, watching as the ruined porcelain began to crack even more.

"So what's our next step?" asked Milena.

"I will not let this go, I will not let that man get away with this," screamed Guinevere. "Julienne and her lot may think they are untouchable now, but I'm going to show them, we are going to show them."

"What exactly do you have in mind?" smirked Milena.

"It would be an awful shame, would it not, dear daughter, if something was to befall Miss Granger."


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Oh boy, this is a long one! I just couldn't stop typing so here we are at just over 4,800 words for this update. Thank you for all your support and encouragement because that is what keeps me going. I hope you enjoy this one. Disclaimer: All characters (except for Aurelie, Sabine, Guinevere, Milena and the cousins) belong to J.K. Rowling.**

It had been pretty late when Ron and Hermione had given up waiting for Harry to return. They had stayed up for hours, wondering whether he had been successful at finally get the true memory off of Slughorn, but when the clock chimed for midnight, Ron suggested they just went to bed.

"He'll find us in the morning and he can tell us then," he said, yawning.

The following morning Hermione waited in the Common Room for the boys. Just when she was contemplating going and checking whether they were even in their dormitory the appeared at the bottom of the stairs.

"So?" asked the brunette, hurrying over.

Harry looked around. "Later," he whispered. "We need to be sure that no one can hear us."

Hermione looked to Ron, but he just shrugged. "He's told me the same thing."

It wasn't until they got into first period Charms that the opportunity for Harry to fill them in presented itself. Flitwick's classes were always good for a conversation and today they took advantage of the practical element to have a hushed conversation in the corner.

"I take you got the memory off Slughorn?" asked Ron.

"Yes," said Harry, with a nod. "It took a while, but eventually I managed it. I met him on the way down to Hagrid's and he ended up coming with me. He and Hagrid started drinking and singing old songs, so when Hagrid passed out I asked Slughorn for it."

"And he gave it you, just like that?" Hermione couldn't believe after all those attempts it had been that simple.

"Well, not exactly," replied Harry, looking a little sheepish. "I may have guilt-tripped him a little. I told him exactly what happened on the night Voldemort tried to kill me, how he killed my dad first and then my mum. She was one of Slughorn's favourites, so then I asked him what my mother would think about him not helping me try and defeat Dumbledore. He started tearing up and then handed it over."

Both Ron and Hermione were stunned.

"Wow...that was pretty heavy going," murmured the red head.

"I wonder how he's feeling today," said Hermione. "It's a good thing we don't have Potions, otherwise that could be awkward."

Harry shook his head. "He won't remember any of it."

"How can you know that?" asked the brunette.

"I can't explain it, I just know," replied Harry. "It was Felix, it just told me what to do and that he wouldn't remember anyway."

"That's quite the potion," said Ron.

"That's not the interesting part," said Harry. He leaned closer and his voice got quieter. "I took the memory straight to Dumbledore's office. I know he's been absent a lot lately, but Felix told me he was in. You'll never believe what a horcrux is."

"What?" said Hermione and Ron together.

"It's a powerful magical object that a witch or wizard has placed a piece of their soul in," whispered Harry.

Ron looked confused. "Excuse me? What does that even mean?"

"Well, if you'll give me a minute to explain," said Harry, frowning. "The memory was Voldemort asking Slughorn what would happen if you split your soul into seven pieces."

"Seven?" exclaimed Hermione, loudly. She winced as people turned to look at them.

Harry scowled at her and she offered a quick apology. Once everyone had returned their attention to the purpose of the lesson, he continued.

"Yes, seven. Slughorn told Voldemort that a horcrux is created by a wizard killing someone. The act of killing tears the soul and the wizard can then take that piece of soul and encase it inside an object. Once he has created one, even if he is killed, because that piece of soul exists in that object he doesn't really die."

"So that's how You Know Who was able to come back," said Ron, shocked.

"Exactly," replied Harry. "Now in the memory it seemed as if Voldemort already knew that bit, the bit about how to create an object, he just wanted Slughorn to tell him what would happen if he split his soul into seven pieces. Slughorn was shocked, because obviously that meant killing several people, but he explained it anyway."

"If he has created a horcrux that's bad, but if he created seven..." Hermione let her statement hang in the air unfinished. It was too terrible to think about.

"Dumbledore seems to think that he managed it." Harry looked pale as he said this and the brunette couldn't blame him. "That's why he's been away so much, he's been trying to work out what they could be. Unless those horcruxes are destroyed, Voldemort can never be killed."

Hermione felt sick. "So, does he have any ideas what they could be?"

Harry nodded. "He thinks he has some of them figured out and the good news is, some are already destroyed."

"Well, that's better than nothing," murmured Ron.

"Do you remember the diary from our second year? Tom Riddle's diary?" asked Harry.

They both nodded.

"You're not telling us that that diary was one of them?" exclaimed the brunette, astonished.

"Yep, it was. Dumbledore has destroyed another. It was this ring which belonged to the Gaunts, you know, Voldemort's mother's family. He also thinks that the snake is one," explained Harry.

"Right, so that's three. What about the other four?" asked Ron.

"One is Voldemort himself," Harry carried on. "As for the rest Dumbledore is pretty sure that the cup and the locket he stole from Hephzibah Smith are two of them, but the last one is doesn't know."

"Hold on a minute," said Hermione, as Harry finished speaking. "The cup and the locket are objects that belong to Hufflepuff and Slytherin, right?"

"Yes, so?" muttered Ron.

"Well we know that Voldemort likes trophies and we know that he was obsessed with things of Wizarding importance," said the brunette, her mind racing. "Could the last horcrux be something belonging to Gryffindor or Ravenclaw?"

Harry nodded. "That's exactly what Dumbledore thinks, he just has no idea what."

Ron whistled and let out a breath. "So these horcrux things need to be destroyed and there are still four more to get rid of before we can even think about killing Voldemort. How on earth is anyone ever going to find them? I assume that snake-face has hidden them away somewhere?"

"That's the point of all these lessons with Dumbledore and looking at all his memories," explained Harry. "The ring horcrux Dumbledore found was hidden in the Gaunt shack."

"Why on earth did he hide it there of all places?" asked Ron.

"Because it was a symbol of Voldemort's connection to not only a pureblood family, but also his ties to the Slytherin bloodline," answered Harry. "Dumbledore doesn't know, but he said he reckons he is close to finding one and he has promised to take me along with him."

"Dumbledore has said he is going to take you along to find and destroy a horcrux?" said Hermione. "What a responsible Headmaster we have."

"This is serious Mione," chided Harry. "This is about destroying Voldemort and, according to that prophecy, I'm the one to do it."

The brunette couldn't be bothered with the argument, so let the matter drop, but she still didn't think it was a good idea. They couldn't carry on the conversation at this point as Flitwick came over to check on their progress. Hermione and Harry did fine, but Ron was given extra homework.

They returned to the Common Room after Charms to enjoy a rare joint free period. Hermione had just followed Harry and Ron through the portrait hole when she heard a shout.

"Hey Katie you're back."

All three looked over to see Katie Bell sat in one of the armchairs surrounded by her friends. Without any hesitation Harry was over there like a shot.

"Hey Katie, good to see you," he said and then, without waiting for a response he carried on. "So, that necklace, can you remember who gave it to you?"

Katie was shaking her head before he had even finished asking the question. "I'm sorry, Harry, I don't know. Everyone's been asking me, but I have no idea. All I remember is walking into the ladies' in the Three Broomsticks, so I guess whoever Imperiused me was hiding behind the door."

Harry opened his mouth to say something, but Hermione elbowed him. "Leave it, Harry. She's just got back and doesn't need an interrogation."

""Thanks Hermione," said Katie, smiling. "Listen, I better go. There's no way McGonagall is going to let me off being late. See you guys later."

With a wave of her hand she left the Common Room, followed by her friends. Harry turned on Hermione straightway.

"Why did you stop me asking her things?" he hissed at her.

"Because she's just got out of St. Mungo's and could do without the third degree you would give her," the brunette growled back. "It must have been a girl, or a woman who Imperiused Katie."

"Why must it?" demanded Harry.

Hermione sighed. "She was in the ladies', Harry. Not many men are going to stand in there without being noticed."

Harry opened and closed his mouth, scowling as the brunette was able to inject reason into what was inevitably going to be a development in his case against Malfoy.

"I'm going to take another swig of Felix and try the Room of Requirement again. Maybe then I will get into wherever Malfoy is," he said finally.

"That would be a complete waste of time," replied Hermione, flatly. "Getting into that room has nothing to do with luck, whereas the situation with Slughorn was. Therefore taking the potion to try and find out whether Malfoy is up to something would be a complete waste of potion. Besides, there are other more important things you might use it on, going with Dumbledore to find that horcrux, for starters."

"Fine," spat Harry, throwing himself into the chair Katie had just vacated. HH

XXXXX

On Friday night, Hermione practically ran back to the Common Room after finishing her last class of the day. She said a hurried goodbye to Harry, Ron and Ginny and went upstairs to her bedroom. She shut and locked the door behind her. She had got into the habit of locking the room after her encounter with Sabine. Dropping her stuff on her bed, the brunette grabbed the Portkey and landed in the living room of the cottage.

Fleur's head poked out from the kitchen and she smiled as she saw her lover. "Your timing is perfect, ma belle," she said, coming out of the kitchen with two plates of food. "Dinner is served."

Hermione kissed the blonde. "I love you and I love your cooking."

They settled down together on the sofa and the brunette moaned in appreciation as she tasted her girlfriend's latest culinary masterpiece.

"Mmmm, this tastes amazing," she moaned.

"I'm French," replied Fleur. "Of course it does."

The brunette rolled her eyes playfully and took another bite.

"So, how was your week?" asked the blonde.

"Where to start?" said Hermione. When Fleur looked concerned she carried on. "Harry finally got that memory off of Slughorn and we discovered that Voldemort created six horcruxes."

Hermione quickly filled her lover in on everything they had found out and by the end Fleur was sitting open-mouthed, her food forgotten.

"This is bad," she murmured, putting her plate down on the coffee table. "This is really bad. He created six horcruxes and there are still four out there?"

"I know, it's a massive task," said the brunette.

"And Dumbledore thinks he's close to finding another one?" asked Fleur.

"Yes and he is going to take Harry along when he finds it," explained Hermione.

The blonde's eyebrows shot up. "Is that wise?"

"Probably not," replied her lover, "but it's what's going to happen."

"I will have to tell the family. Maybe there is some way that we can help," suggested Fleur.

"You know I'm going to have to help him, don't you," said Hermione, after a moment. "I have to see this through and support him."

Fleur nodded. She knew what her girlfriend was telling her. "And I will be right next to you, helping you both."

Hermione put her plate down next to Fleur's and curled up in her lover's arms. There was no where she felt safer. She began to cry and once she started she couldn't stop the tears from falling.

"Shhh, it's alright, ma belle. Everything will be alright," murmured the blonde, squeezing her lover tighter.

"Everything is such a mess," cried Hermione. "Harry, these horcruxes, Sabine...I just...I just don't know how I've got it all wrong."

"You haven't got anything wrong," said Fleur, reassuringly.

"I have...I...I..." Before the brunette could say anymore, Fleur grasped either side of her lover's face and forced her to look at her.

"Listen to me, ma belle. Whatever you have done, you have done to protect someone and to support them. There is nothing here you have done wrong. You have and you always will be the kindest person I know. Never doubt that."

The blonde captured Hermione's lips with her own and wouldn't stop kissing her until the tears slowed and eventually stopped. She felt drained and her eyelids were heavy. Hermione tried to fight the sleep that was beginning to claim her, but with Fleur rubbing her back soothingly she found herself drifting off into sleep.

XXXXX

It was clear that Fleur was trying to distract her from her worries for the entire weekend. The blonde had planned a series of activities for the couple, which prevented Hermione from even thinking about her troubles. There were walks around Hogsmeade, being careful to avoid people for fear they would see a Hogwarts student outside the castle. It wouldn't do for that to be reported back to McGonagall, not after the privilege of being allowed to go to the cottage. There was picnic involving a wicker basket and a blanket. Hermione spent most of that being fed all her favourite items by Fleur. Finally there were evenings spent wrapped up on the sofa, enjoying being with one another.

Reluctantly, Hermione returned to the castle, but she felt more relaxed than she had done in weeks. She joined Harry, Ron and Ginny at the Gryffindor table, ignoring the smirks from the two Weasleys. They had a relatively relaxing day, it being the one where there were a few frees in the timetable, so Hermione used those to catch up on the homework she had not completed over the weekend, much to Ron's amusement.

"Wait," he said with a massive grin on his face. "Are you telling me that the great Hermione Granger did not complete her homework on the day it was handed out? That she has gone more than a day without doing any school work whatsoever?" He made a point of pretending to take her temperature, so she playfully hit him.

"Ha ha, very funny," she said sarcastically. "At least I only have one essay to do, how many have you got?"

Ron pulled a face. "You could have let me enjoy it, just this once. I better go to the library, I need to get some research for Slughorn's essay on antidotes, otherwise he's just going to make me do it again."

He hurried off, leaving Harry and Hermione alone. The brunette returned her attention to her own essay, but Harry did not. He was tapping his quill against his parchment, gazing out of the window. Clearly lost in thought, the brunette wondered whether he was still thinking about Malfoy.

"Er, Harry? You okay?" she finally asked.

"Wh...what? Oh yes, I'm fine," he replied, turning to look at his parchment. He suddenly stood up. "I'm going for a walk."

"Not to the Room of Requirement again?" said Hermione, suppressing a groan.

"So what if I am?" snapped Harry and with that he stormed out, leaving his homework scattered about the table.

Sighing to herself, the brunette packed it away. His behaviour wasn't healthy and was becoming more of a concern with every passing day. Hermione knew that he was beyond her help, so decided that there was only one thing to do.

She cleared her own stuff away and climbed through the portrait hole, heading in the direction of McGonagall's office. Hermione felt like she was betraying Harry, but she honestly didn't know what other course of action there was. She reached McGonagall's door and knocked, hoping the Professor was in there. Footsteps came from the other side of the door and it opened to reveal the Scottish witch.

"Miss Granger," she said, sounding surprised. "What can I do for you?"

"I need your help Professor," replied Hermione.

Without hesitating, McGonagall opened her door wide and gestured for the brunette to come in.

"You sound troubled," murmured the Professor. "What can I help you with?"

Hermione took a deep breath. "It's Harry, Professor. He's...he's fixated on this idea and it's beginning to consume him. He can't focus on his work and he's begun to stop eating properly. I mean he eats, just not a full meal. He will bolt down his food and then run off to keep an eye on...on this thing he can't stop obsessing about. I just...I just don't know what to do anymore. I've tried speaking to him. Ron's tried speaking to him, but he won't listen. He just gets angry and storms away. I don't know what to do."

McGonagall took a moment to process everything she had just heard. "Mmmm, I was beginning to wonder what was bothering Mr Potter. What is it exactly that is bothering him?" The brunette bit her lip. "I can't help him unless you tell me everything."

"It's Malfoy," said Hermione, finally. "Harry, he...he...thinks that Malfoy is...up to something. It's complicated, but Harry won't stop following him and trying to find out what he's up to."

The Scottish witch frowned, but Hermione could see the worry in her eyes. "I see. Well, leave it with me, Miss Granger."

"He's going to be so mad at me," whispered the brunette in a small voice.

Then McGonagall did something she had never done before. She sat down next to Hermione and reached out to touch her shoulder.

"Hermione," murmured the older witch. "You have done the absolute right thing in telling me. Harry may not be happy with you, but you have been a better friend to him than he could ever hope for. Sometimes the sign of a good friend isn't someone who follows another blindly into any situation, but someone who has the courage to do what's best in the long run for that person. That is what you have done. Now, leave it with me."

The brunette nodded, wiping a tear away and stood up to leave. Before she could do so a Patronus appeared in the office. It was a silver doe and Snape's voice came out of it.

"Minerva, you're needed in the Hospital Wing right away. Potter has attacked Malfoy and it's bad."

Without a word, both witches left the office and headed towards the Hospital Wing. McGonagall was surprisingly fast and either didn't know Hermione was following, or didn't care. The brunette had the sense to stop outside the doors to the Hospital Wing and waited as McGonagall headed inside. Just before the doors shut, the brunette caught a glimpse of Malfoy and she felt her stomach drop. His clothes were covered in blood and he was paler than any human should be.

Hermione waited outside and heard McGonagall and Snape speaking in hurried whispers. She knew she shouldn't eavesdrop, but she was a part-Veela now after all and her heightened hearing caught every word of the conversation, despite her Professors attempts to keep their voices down.

"Attacked? What do you mean, Severus?" whispered McGonagall.

"I mean," said Snape, icily, "Potter used a spell, a spell that no student should ever use. It seems he and Malfoy got into a fight in one of the bathrooms and Potter then hit Malfoy with that spell. If I hadn't had been close by, heard the commotion and known the counter-spell then Malfoy would have been killed."

McGonagall gave a sharp intake of breath and Hermione had to grab the nearest wall to steady herself. She couldn't believe Harry was capable of such a thing. He was obsessed with Malfoy yes, but the brunette hadn't realised it was this bad.

"What spell was it?" asked McGonagall.

"Sectumsempra," replied Snape. "And who knows where he learnt that."

"But...but...that spell causes..." spluttered the Scottish witch, clearly shocked.

"Causes hundreds of wounds to open on the body and for blood to pour out like water," finished Snape. "Yes, yes it does. As I said, luckily I heard Moaning Myrtle shouting and came running. I administered the counter-curse just in time, so Malfoy will live, but he is very lucky."

Hermione had heard enough. She ran as fast as she could back to the library in the hopes that Ron was still there. Madam Pince looked furious as the brunette ran in, but Hermione found she didn't care. She ignored the protests and instructions from the Hogwarts librarian and frantically began searching for Ron. Students looked up alarmed at her strange behaviour. Finally she found the redhead sat near the back.

"Ron," she whispered urgently. "You have to come with me now."

He opened his mouth to ask why, but seeing her face he clearly realised it was something serious and followed her out of the library without question.

"What's happened?" he asked, as soon as they were far enough away.

"It's Harry, he's attacked Malfoy," she whispered.

"Wait, what?" Ron looked horrified. "How bad is it?"

"Really bad," replied the brunette wringing her hands. "Malfoy nearly died. Snape arrived quite quickly and knew the counter-curse, so he was able to stop the bleeding."

"Bleeding?"

Hermione nodded. "It was some curse I've never heard of, Sectumsempra, or something. Apparently, it causes cuts all over the body and lots and lots of bleeding. Where did he even hear about a spell like that?"

Ron's mouth had opened at hearing the name of the spell. "I know where. He read it in the notes from that Prince, the one who wrote all over Harry's Potions book. It was in there. He told me about it. What do we do now? Where's Harry?"

"I don't know," whispered the brunette. "Snape must have followed Malfoy to the Hospital Wing. As soon as I heard about the spell and what happened I knew I had to find you. I don't know where he is. Snape mentioned something about a bathroom."

"Right," said Ron, he was thinking frantically. "Let's split up and try to find him. I'll go and check the boys' bathrooms, you go and see whether he's gone back to the Common Room."

"Okay, sounds like a plan," agreed Hermione. They both turned to head off, but the brunette called after Ron. "Snape also said that Moaning Myrtle was the one who raised the alarm, so maybe start with the boys' bathroom closest to hers."

The red head nodded and they ran off. Hermione sprinted all the way to the Common Room. She flew past students, who all stared after her. Screaming the password at a rather insulted Fat Lady, the brunette practically threw herself through the portrait hole. There was no sign of Harry anywhere in the Common Room, so she headed straight for the stairs, taking them two at a time. Without knocking, she opened the door into the dormitory and saw Harry sitting on the edge of his bed, clutching his copy of _Advanced Potion Making_. He looked up with a tear-stained face when he heard her come in.

Hermione knew she should probably be gentle, that he was shocked by what he was done, but she couldn't control her anger.

"What the hell were you thinking?" she shouted. "You attacked Malfoy. You attacked Malfoy. He nearly died, Harry, do you know that. If Snape hadn't been there you would have killed someone."

"I...I..." Harry tried to say, but he couldn't form words, he just looked helplessly at the book in his hands.

"You nearly killed him," shrieked Hermione. "Do you see? Do you see now where your obsessions take you? YOU NEVER LISTEN!" For the first time, the brunette had really lost it. "HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO SAY THE SAME THINGS, HARRY? HOW MANY TIMES BEFORE YOU ACTUALLY LISTEN AND TAKE IT ON BOARD AND LEARN FROM IT? WE HAD NEARLY THE SAME CONVERSATION AT THE END OF LAST YEAR AFTER THE MINISTRY AND YOU STILL DID THIS. LAST TIME IT WAS SIRIUS AND NOW YOU NEARLY KILLED ANOTHER STUDENT! LOOK WHERE YOUR OBSESSIONS AND FIXATIONS GET YOU. MALFOY IS IN THE HOSPITAL WING. YOU ONCE MORE DECIDED _"I'M HARRY POTTER, I KNOW BEST"_ LIKE YOU ALWAYS DO AND SOMEONE NEARLY DIED, AGAIN! WELL, I'VE HAD ENOUGH. I WILL NOT STAND BY AND LET YOU DESTROY YOURSELF WITH YOUR ARROGANCE."

She paused for a breath and Harry looked at her, his tears falling.

"I know...I know you're right," he cried. "But Snape wants to see me and to see my book. He knows I got the spell from here." He choked on another sob.

"Here's what we are going to do," said Hermione, trying her hardest to stay calm, or at least calmer. She headed over to Ron's trunk, opened it and pulled out his copy of _Advanced Potion Making_. "Take this. Take Ron's copy to Snape and pass it off as yours. I will take your copy and hide it somewhere Snape or you will never find it. Go now."

Harry took the copy offered to him and handed his own over to the brunette. He turned to leave.

"Harry," called out Hermione. "If you ever behave in this way again, not listening to me and Ron when we know you need help, this will be the last time I save you."

He nodded and uttered a quick thank you, before hurrying out the door. Hermione sighed and looked at the book. With a renewed determination, she stuffed the book into the top of her skirt and pulled her jumper down to hide it, before following Harry out of the dormitory. Every face in the Common Room turned to her as she reached the bottom of the stairs. They must have seen Harry's tear-stained face and wondered what had happened. The brunette ignored the looks and walked out through the portrait hole.

Her mind was racing as she thought about what to do next. Where was she going to hide this book? It needed to be somewhere Snape would never look. With a start, she turned around and rushed off.

Hermione skidded to a halt outside the Room of Requirement and walked backwards and forwards thinking. _I need somewhere to hide this book. I need somewhere to hide this book._ When she opened her eyes the door was waiting for her. Having a quick look around to be sure no one was watching, the brunette slipped inside.

She was standing in a room the size of a large cathedral, whose high windows were sending shafts of light down upon what looked like a city with towering walls, built of what Hermione knew must be objects hidden by generations of Hogwarts inhabitants. There were alleyways and roads bordered by teetering piles of broken and damaged furniture. There were thousands and thousands of books, no doubt banned or graffitied or stolen.

The brunette hurried forward into one of the many alleyways between all this hidden treasure. She turned right past an enormous stuffed troll, ran on a short way, took a left at the broken Vanishing Cabinet, finally pausing beside a large cupboard. She opened one of the cupboard's creaking doors: and stuffed the book inside, quickly slamming the door shut. She let out a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding and then sprinted back through the alleyways of hidden junk as fast as she could, back to the door, back out into the corridor.

There was no one in the corridor thankfully. She paused wondering what she was going to do now. A thought came to her and she sped off. Arriving at her destination, Hermione slipped inside. Malfoy was asleep in a bed at the end of the Hospital Wing. Snape had clearly gone to deal with Harry and there was no sign of McGonagall. The brunette could hear Madam Pomfrey in her office. Hermione reached Malfoy's bed and pulled up a chair.

She didn't know how long she had been sat there and she was thankful that Pomfrey hadn't come out to check on her patient yet. Malfoy's eyes began to flicker and they opened, widening in shock when he saw who was sat at his bedside. He sat up, looking nervous.

"Hello, Malfoy. We need to have a little chat," murmured Hermione.


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: You would not believe how much I have typed and re-typed this chapter. I just couldn't seem to get it right and even as I type this A/N I am thinking about going back and editing it again. Well, this is it: the beginning of the end of this story. I will try to keep author's notes out of chapters, or leave them until the end from now on. I hope you enjoy the finale. Thank you one and all for your incredible support over the years. These stories only exist because of you, so I really hope you enjoy this one. Disclaimer: All characters (except the usual mentions) belong to J.K. Rowling.**

Malfoy just blinked at Hermione. He looked terrified, but the brunette couldn't comprehend why that might be.

"Wh...what do you mean, talk?" he stammered. He tried to sit up, but winced and fell back onto his pillows.

Hermione's eyes flicked to Madam Pomfrey's office and the door of the Hospital Wing. "We don't have much time," she said, quickly. "Someone could come in at any moment, so here's how it's going to go: I'm going to ask you questions and you're going to answer them truthfully."

"Or what?" Malfoy tried to sneer, but failed.

He reminded the brunette forcefully of prey that was looking for an escape from the predator.

"You don't want to find out what the "or what" would be," she whispered, a clear edge to her voice.

The blonde Slytherin didn't say anything, but merely nodded. She had no idea why he seemed to be so afraid of her.

"I don't know much," said Malfoy, keeping his voice low.

"That tells me there is something to know," replied Hermione. "What were you doing in the Room of Requirement?"

"N...nothing," stuttered the blonde. "I wasn't doing anything..."

"That's rubbish and you know it," interrupted Hermione, her eyes flicking to the Matron's office as there were sounds of movement. "You were spending hours in there, Harry was keeping an eye out. You've been sneaking around this castle for months and hiding in the Room of Requirement, so answer me, what were you doing?"

Malfoy looked to the office door.

"Don't bother shouting," said the brunette, recognising what he was thinking. "I will get you to tell me everything I want to know, whether here or when you're released, I will get what I want."

"Okay, okay," muttered Malfoy, hurriedly. "Just promise me, promise me you won't say anything about me." Hermione nodded, so he continued. "I was just told to hang out in that room for a few hours once in a while. They didn't tell me why, just gave me specific times each week that I was supposed to go there."

"You were told to hang out in the Room of Requirement? Why?" asked Hermione.

"I don't know." When the brunette opened her mouth, he hastily added, "That's the truth, I was never told why."

"Who told you?" asked Hermione.

Malfoy shook his head. "I won't tell you, no way."

"Malfoy," growled the brunette.

"No, you can't make me. I'm more scared of them than I am of you. If she finds out..." He let the rest of his sentence trail away.

"She? Who's she?" Hermione frowned, her mind racing. "You mean Aurelie? Or Bellatrix?"

"Who is Aurelie?" asked Malfoy, looking genuinely confused. "And I haven't even met my aunt?"

Before the brunette could ask anymore Madam Pomfrey emerged from her office.

"M...Miss Granger? What are you doing here?" said the matron.

"Get her to leave," pleaded the Slytherin. "Please just get her to leave me alone."

Hermione shot Malfoy a look, but Madam Pomfrey was already ordering her out. Knowing that refusing would achieve nothing, the brunette stormed off, but not without throwing a look at Malfoy, who was now sneering in the familiar way.

Once outside she didn't know what to think. Was he being genuine? Had he told her the truth? And if he was, who was this woman he was so afraid of, if it wasn't Aurelie? She hadn't realised where her feet had taken her, so when she looked up she was surprised to find herself at the portrait hole. Muttering the password she climbed through to a quiet Common Room.

Most of the other Gryffindors seemed to be at dinner, but she found she had lost her appetite. Hermione headed straight for her room and sighed as she shut the door behind her. Now what? Deciding that she would try and distract herself with homework, Hermione grabbed her bag and rifled through it for her quill, parchment and ink. However, she paused as she went to grab her Transfiguration book. There was no way she would be able to remain focused with her mind racing the way it was.

Instead, Hermione grabbed a piece of parchment, dipped her quill in the inkpot and furiously began to think about everything. She had to figure out what was going on. Late into the night she worked creating spider diagrams, linking events and trying desperately to find the clue that would be the key to sorting this whole mystery out.

XXXXX

Nowhere. That's where Hermione got after working late into the night, absolutely nowhere. She couldn't work out what the point of Malfoy hiding in that room could be. Feeling more frustrated than she had been in ages, the brunette stormed downstairs the following day and headed to the Great Hall.

There was no sign of Ron or Harry at the Gryffindor table and she wondered whether it was because the latter was trying to avoid everyone. Taking her usual spot next to Ginny, Hermione helped herself to some tea and toast.

"Where's Harry and your brother?" asked the brunette, spreading marmalade onto her toast.

"He came and grabbed some stuff to go and said Harry didn't want to come down for breakfast," replied Ginny. "Moaning Myrtle has blabbed to every girl yesterday, so it's gone round the school like wildfire about what happened with Harry and Malfoy yesterday."

Hermione glanced over at the Slytherin table and saw that Malfoy was also absent.

"He was released from the Hospital Wing this morning, but I heard from Lavender that he's also trying to stay out of the way. He's got special permission from Snape to complete his class work in the Slytherin Common Room, rather than heading out for classes," explained Ginny.

"I thought he would want to be strutting around school like he owns the place again," said Hermione.

"He's not been like that in a while though," said the redhead. "Think about it, when was the last time you heard him boasting, or him waltzing around in that gang of Slytherins."

Now the brunette thought about it, he hadn't been behaving like that for most of the year. She couldn't believe that she'd only just noticed it.

Finishing their breakfast in relative silence, they headed out of the Hall with the rest of the students and went off to lessons. The brunette waved Ginny off as the redhead went towards Charms.

Hermione had a free period, so decided to look for Harry and Ron. She had just reached the fourth floor and turned a corner when she Dumbledore standing in the corridor. Immediately her guard was up.

"Ah Miss Granger, how lovely to see you again," he said, with a smile.

Not for one second did the brunette think this was an accident. She mentally kicked herself for being on her own. It had been months since he had last approached her, so she had let her guard down.

"Professor Dumbledore," replied Hermione, "I was just on my way to the Gryffindor Common Room."

"Of course, of course. I wouldn't want to get in the way of you catching up on school work, or preparing for your next class." He moved closer, his voice barely more than a whisper. "No doubt Harry has told you all he has learned about Voldemort. He needs the both of us to defeat him, so it would perhaps be best if we smoothed things over. You seem a little on edge whenever you see me."

"On edge?" repeated the brunette.

Dumbledore nodded. "Hmmm. I don't know what I've done to cause that reaction, but for Harry's sake we need to be on the same side. Perhaps we could have a talk in my office? I would be very interested to hear what thoughts you have about developing the Delacour Coven with Fleur."

"I bet you do," murmured Hermione. "Your little plan with Guinevere didn't work, so now you have had to change your plan by trying to appeal to my loyalty to Harry to get me to, what? Side with you?"

"Well, he is facing a struggle with Voldemort, after all. And who better to help him in that endeavour, but me?" said the old man.

"You really are quite something aren't you?" laughed the brunette. "The only reason you are helping Harry is so he will feel loyal to you. Then when he wins, he will be the Golden Boy and you will have your Golden Ticket to retaining power. Well it's not going to work. I know what you've done and I refuse to be a part of it. I'm not on your side, I'm not on Voldemort's side, I'm on Harry's and I will support him, whether or not I like you."

Hermione turned on her heel and stormed off, leaving a very angry Dumbledore behind, contemplating what his next move would be.

Once she arrived in the Common Room she saw Ron and Harry seated in the corner. She pulled up and chair and joined them. The redhead smiled warmly at her, but Harry was avoiding eye contact. Hermione refused to be the one to start the conversation. Finally after a few awkward moments, Harry looked up.

"I'm...I'm sorry Mione," he croaked, in a hoarse voice.

"Yes, well, make sure you mean it," replied Hermione.

"I do," said Harry.

She could see in his eyes that he did. For a moment she contemplated telling the boys about her conversation with Malfoy, but she thought better of it. Telling Ron was one thing, but Harry had already proved that he couldn't handle things, so for now it would probably be better for her to keep quiet.

"So," said Hermione, "have you two even started that Herbology homework yet?"

Ron groaned, but Harry smiled weakly. It was a start.

XXXXX

Hermione wanted another opportunity to talk to Malfoy, but for the first couple of weeks after he was released from the Hospital Wing, the only time he left the Common Room was for meals and he was always surrounded by his Slytherin posse. After a while, the brunette realised she was becoming like Harry, so immediately stopped and went back to trying to figure out what could be Voldemort's plan.

"It's just so unbelievably frustrating," groaned Hermione, as she helped Fleur tidy the cottage a few weeks after the incident.

"I can see that, ma belle," murmured Fleur. "But unless Malfoy is willing to tell you everything then there is no way to find out."

The brunette pulled a face. "What a help you are," she muttered sarcastically.

"You know what I mean," said the blonde.

There was a sudden knock at the door and the couple exchanged a look. No one ever knocked on their door. Fleur went to answer it and made Hermione jump when she gave a shout and threw herself at whoever had rung the doorbell.

"Papa," shouted the blonde.

Hermione smiled as Fleur's father was finally allowed to step through the door.

"Well hello to you too," laughed Armand. "And hello to you as well my dear Hermione."

The brunette hugged Armand tightly and he gave her an extra squeeze.

"What are you doing here?" asked Hermione. "Not that you aren't welcome here, of course," she added hastily.

"It's been a while since I'd seen you," he replied, "so I thought it was high time I came here again for a visit."

"And we are happy to have you here," said Fleur with a broad smile. "I'll go make us some drinks."

The blonde bustled off into the kitchen and Hermione gestured for Armand to sit on the sofa.

"Now, how have you been?" he asked.

"Good," replied the brunette. "Really good."

He frowned. "How have you really been? I heard about Mr Potter and in the incident with another student."

"Oh, I see," said Hermione. She sighed. "I'm afraid I rather lost my temper with him after that."

"Understandable," murmured Armand, nodding. "Don't feel too guilty, my dear. Sometimes being a good friend means you have to hand out some harsh truths."

"You sound like Professor McGonagall," laughed the brunette.

"Then she must be a very wise woman," said Armand with a grin. "Honestly though, Hermione. Mr Potter was reckless with his actions, to say the least, so whatever you said to him was the right thing."

"Wait, a moment." Hermione was struck with a sudden suspicion. "Is that why you're here? You heard about Harry's incident and knew I might need cheering up."

Armand smiled with that knowing twinkle in his eye. "Fleur might have mentioned that you sensed you felt angry and also upset, so I thought I would come and check on my daughter in law."

Hermione felt like crying. He really was the most thoughtful person she had ever met. "Well, thank you."

He smiled even more and hugged the brunette again. "I will always look out for you, as if you were my own daughter."

Fleur appeared at this moment, carrying a tray of mugs. "Everything alright in here?"

"Yes, yes fine," explained Hermione, sitting back again. "You've just been telling you father things."

"Who, me?" said the blonde, pretending to be innocent. "Never."

They all laughed and settled on the couch.

"So," said Armand, "what plans are there for the summer?"

For the first time since Harry had attacked Malfoy, Hermione finally felt relaxed and she spent an enjoyable afternoon with Armand and Fleur. This only made her look forward to the holidays even more.

XXXXX

The brunette relaxed as the term began to draw to a close. Soon the school year would be over and she would be back in France to spend the whole summer with Fleur. Harry would go back to the Dursleys' one last time and things would calm down.

For attacking Malfoy, Harry had been given a detention every Saturday until the end of term. At first he began to grumble about this, until Hermione reminded him that he was lucky to not be arrested. After that, the complaints stopped and the most he did was sigh before heading out for whatever Snape had planned for that detention.

"So, you've got to spend every Saturday with Snape, for the rest of the year?" asked Ron.

Harry threw him a look. "Yes, and now he's hinting that if I don't finish relabeling all of Filch's boxes, I'll have to carry on into next year," he moaned.

"Serves you right," said Hermione.

There was no complaint from Harry, who merely nodded and returned to his drawing of a Venomous Tentacula. He was interrupted from labelling it when Jimmy Peakes appeared holding a scroll. The trio shared a look and immediately dropped their quills as Harry opened it.

"It's from Dumbledore," he murmured. "He wants me to go to his office now."

"Wait, you don't think...?" said Ron, excitedly.

"That he's found a horcrux," whispered Hermione. "It sounds like it."

Harry jumped up, spilling ink all over his drawing. "I better go and find out."

He sprinted across the Common Room and out of the portrait hole. Hermione and Ron exchanged a nervous look. The brunette fidgeted in her seat.

"You've been doing that a lot this evening," said the redhead.

"Have I?" replied Hermione.

Ron nodded. "You okay?"

"I think so. I just...I don't know."

"What?" asked Ron, looking puzzled.

Hermione took a breath. "I just...feel on edge and I don't know why."

The redhead leaned closer. "Isn't that your...you know...Veela?"

"Yes," said the brunette.

"Well, it could just be because Harry has gone with Dumbledore," whispered Ron.

Hermione bit her lip. "Maybe you're right. It's just this Malfoy thing. Something's not right and whilst he may not be up to something, someone else is. What do you think?"

Ron shrugged. "What could possibly happen? We are in Hogwarts. This is the safest building in Britain."

"You're right. Maybe I just need to walk it off. It might just be because I'm anxious about Harry going with Dumbledore, like you said," murmured the brunette. "You know what, I will go for a walk."

"Right you are, just make sure you get back before curfew. We're on track to win that House Cup, so we can't have you losing us house points for being out of bed."

The brunette rolled her eyes. As if she would lose house points for Gryffindor. Waving a hand, she left the Common Room. She had no idea where to go, so just let her feet wander.

It was eerily quiet in the corridors, which just put Hermione on edge more. She felt as if she was being taken somewhere. Nudging her Veela, the brunette felt it nudge her back in a way that she found reassuring, despite how she was feeling. Letting her Veela instinct take control, she let it guide her.

Hermione realised with a jolt that she was heading towards the Room of Requirement. She turned the corner and found herself in the same corridor as the door. Something wasn't right. As the brunette watched the wall where the door was, she gasped as she saw the door begin to appear. Hermione hurriedly looked around to find a place to hide and jumped behind a nearby suit of armour. Her hand slipped into her pocket and she withdrew her wand, quietly wishing that Fleur was here. The door solidified and began to creek open. Clutching her wand even tighter in her hand, Hermione raised it, ready to attack.

Malfoy emerged from the room first and he seemed to be holding something. It looked to be a hand. Anger flooded the brunette's veins and she was about to jinx the blonde boy when she went cold. Close behind Malfoy was Aurelie, quickly followed by Bellatrix Lestrange and some more Death Eaters.

Aurelie began speaking in a hushed voice, but Hermione could still hear her. "So, which way boy?"

"They left from the Astronomy Tower, that's where they will go back to," he answered, his voice quivering with fear.

"They better," growled Aurelie. She turned to face someone still stood in the room. "You're up, little one."

Following the Death Eaters out of the room and dressed all in black was Sabine.


	24. Chapter 24

Hermione was in complete disbelief. This couldn't be right. It just couldn't. It was bad enough that there were Death Eaters in the castle, but the fact that Sabine was accompanying them just broke the brunette's heart. The dark-haired Veela had a determined look on her face. There was no sign of the friend that Hermione had come to love dearly, the one who she used to spend time laughing with in the cottage.

Sabine shared a glance with her mother, a fierce look in her eyes. "I'm ready."

Aurelie nodded. "I'm so proud of you." She raised a hand to brush against her daughter's face.

"As lovely as this moment is," drawled Bellatrix, her voice oozing with sarcasm, "we have somewhere to be."

"Quite right," replied Aurelie. Her expression changed completely to one void of all emotion. She turned to face Malfoy who was looking terrified. "Lead on then, boy. Use that object of yours."

The blonde Slytherin reached into a pocket and pulled out what looked like a lump of coal. Before he could do anything with it Hermione leapt out from behind the suit of armour and fired a spell at Aurelie. It was easily deflected by her and Bellatrix sent a curse straight at the brunette. She reacted instinctively, letting her Veela guide her. Soon she was engaged in a heated battle with Bellatrix and the other Death Eaters. Malfoy was cowering behind them, but there was no sign of Aurelie or Sabine. Anger coursed through Hermione's veins at the thought of Sabine being here with Death Eaters and what that could mean. She unleashed the rage and felt her magic awaken within her. It was like a beast waiting to be released.

With some satisfaction Hermione noticed that the expressions on Bellatrix's accomplices changed from amusement to genuine fear. The ground was cracking beneath the brunette's feet as she fired spell after spell at the Death Eaters. She let her anger fuel her, welcomed it, embraced it. One of her spells broke through one of the Death Eater's defences and he hurtled backwards, hitting the wall with a sickening thud. Another curse undid a second. Hermione was moving with grace and poise, firing off spells and curses she didn't recognise, dodging those fired at her. Her Veela was at the fore, fighting with every breath and she relished it. Bellatrix had stopped aiming spells at her and was merely watching her fellow Death Eaters' attempts to fight back with a strange expression on her face. It wasn't fear, nor amusement. Hermione found she didn't care, she carried on fighting, willing herself to stop them. Once she stopped the Death Eaters she could get to Sabine and then she would deal with the dark-haired Veela.

More Death Eaters swarmed into the corridor from the room, too many to count. Bellatrix shouted an order at them, which the brunette couldn't hear over the roar of magic. They all nodded and sprinted off down the corridor. Hermione tried to hit them, but was pushed back by the Death Eaters she was already fighting. They were loose in the castle and no one but Hermione knew about it.

There were only four Death Eaters and Bellatrix left in the corridor. Hermione felt a small nudge from her Veela and gave in, welcoming whatever it was going to do. An eerie light filled the corridor and she felt herself rise ever so slightly off the ground. The eyes of the Death Eaters widened. Feeling a surge of anger, Hermione threw her arms forward and unleashed a wave of brilliant blue magic with a terrifying scream. The spell hurtled down the corridor at speed. Bellatrix turned and ran, leaving her accomplices to their fate. The magic hit them with force. The walls and ceiling around the point of impact cracked and stone fell to the floor with a deafening crash, throwing up clouds of dust.

Hermione felt her feet touch the ground and she stumbled slightly as the effects of the magic wore off. She knew without looking in the mirror that her eyes were shining yellow. Once the dust settled she could clearly see the utter chaos of the fight that had just taken place. All around the corridor the Death Eaters were strewn, a couple buried under the rubble that had fallen. She felt a wave of sickness as she wondered whether they were alive or dead.

A faint whimpering reached her ears and she let her Veela take control once more. Keeping her senses open she slowly walked closer to the noise, her wand at the ready in case Bellatrix came back, or one of the Death Eaters regained consciousness.

It was Malfoy. The blonde boy was hiding behind a statue, cowering whilst clutching what she now saw was a Hand of Glory. She had read about them in one of her books. In his other hand she saw what looked at first to be a lump of coal, but upon closer inspection she recognised it as Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder, sold by the Weasley twins. Knowing that if he became aware of her presence he would use both, she grabbed the Hand of Glory and wrenched it out of his grasp. Malfoy threw his hands up in front of his face.

"Don't hurt me," he wailed. "Please don't hurt me."

Hermione crouched down and brought her face close to Malfoy's, there was a look of pure venom in her eyes. He gasped as he saw the yellow burning brightly back at him.

"You are going to tell me everything and you are going to tell me now," she snarled, grabbing him by the front of his robes.

"It's not my fault, it's not my fault," whimpered Malfoy.

"You lied to me!" shouted the brunette. "You were involved."

"I...I wasn't...not really," stammered the blonde boy. "I will tell you everything, just please don't hurt me, not like..." He visibly gulped and his eyes bulged as his glance moved over the fallen Death Eaters.

The brunette gave him a shake to bring his attention back to her. "You were working on something in the Room of Requirement, something that managed to get those Death Eaters and Aurelie and Bellatrix in here." Hermione couldn't bring herself to include Sabine's name in the list.

"I had nothing to do with any of it," said Malfoy. "I swear I didn't. I had no idea what they were planning."

"Liar!" snarled the brunette, fighting the urge to throw him against the wall.

"I'm not, I'm not," cried Malfoy. There were tears beginning to shine in his eyes. "It wasn't me, I just did as I was told. My aunt was the one who told me first that there was a plan. The Dark Lord wanted to get rid of Dumbledore. He saw the old man as an obstacle to whatever he has planned and wanted him gone. The plan was to kill Dumbledore."

"So, Harry was right. You've been a Death Eater the entire time and you've been told to kill Dumbledore. Is that your family's punishment for your father's failure?" shouted Hermione.

"I would never join him," yelled Malfoy. "He's the reason my father is in Azkaban. If it wasn't for him, my father would still be here, but no. My father preferred following the Dark Lord than being there for his family. I would never let my mother experience me going to that place the same as my father."

"Then what's happening with Dumbledore?" demanded the brunette.

"It was never my idea, but what...what could I do?" whimpered Malfoy. "If I didn't go along with it, they would hurt my mother."

"What was the plan?" growled Hermione.

"She told me to go into the room. She told me to just make sure no one went in there. She said there was a way of getting into the castle, one that got around all the enchantments that are supposed to protect it. She had me go and check that there was this Vanishing Cabinet in Borgin and Burkes. There's one in the Room of Requirement, but I expect she knew that. She's been here on and off all year in the Room of Requirement. She didn't tell me that my aunt was going to come through with the Death Eaters though. If I'd have known that I would have told someone," explained Malfoy. "She's here to kill Dumbledore, even went so far as to volunteer for the task."

Hermione actually growled in frustration and gave the blonde a shove. "So you are a liar. She came up with the plan and you said you had no idea who Aurelie was. That's what you said when I asked you in the Hospital wing and yet here she is. You were terrified of her finding out that we knew you were up to something."

"I'm telling the truth. I had no idea who she was. She wasn't the one giving me the instructions," said Malfoy. "It was the other Veela, the dark-haired one that she was speaking to, she was one the who told me what to do."

Hermione felt her mouth run dry and her entire body went cold, as if it had suddenly been plunged into ice cold water.

"S...Sabine?" stammered Hermione. "You liar." Her anger roared to the surface once more.

This time she did throw him. He hit the wall and collapsed to the floor unconscious. Blood trickled out of a cut on the back of his head, staining his silvery blonde hair red. He couldn't be telling the truth. Why would she want to kill Dumbledore? Why would she volunteer? But Hermione already knew the answers to her questions.

"No, no, no, no," repeated the brunette over and over again. Tears were falling freely. "Sabine."

She looked around the corridor helplessly, as if someone would pop out and say it was all lies. On shaky legs Hermione moved down the corridor, her mind racing as she processed everything. Sabine was here to kill Dumbledore and she was here with Aurelie and Bellatrix. She began to run, sprinting away from the Death Eaters and the unconscious Malfoy. She had to get to the Astronomy Tower. Malfoy had told Aurelie and Sabine that that was where Dumbledore and Harry had left from and they would return there. Sabine would go there to wait for the Headmaster to return and then she would kill him. Hermione had to stop her.

The sounds of spells hitting stone walls reached her ears and she sprinted off in the direction of the battle. As she rounded a corner she ducked and a spell cracked against the wall where her head had been seconds before.

It was total chaos.

There were Death Eaters locked in fights with Order members and with shock Hermione spotted Valentine, Apolline and Astrid firing spells off. As she gazed around the room she saw more of Fleur's cousins, but no sign of the blonde.

"Hermione," shouted a voice and turning the brunette saw Armand battling his way towards her.

"Armand," called out Hermione, aiming a spell at a Death Eater who was about to strike.

She reached Fleur's father and he tugged her behind a pile of rubble that had fallen from the ceiling above. A gaping hole revealed the next floor up. They both flinched as a spell hit the stones they were hiding behind.

"Thank goodness you are safe," said Armand, panting heavily.

"But, how..." asked Hermione, astonished.

"It was Fleur," he explained. "She shot up out of her seat at dinner and said she heard you, or at least your voice, asking for help. We couldn't calm her down after that. She insisted she heard you calling out and she sensed that you were in distress. After everything with Guinevere we thought it best to come and check and we are glad we did."

A loud bang echoed around the corridor followed by yells, whether from friend or foe they didn't know.

"Fleur heard me?" The brunette was shocked. "Where is she?"

"She's here. We, that is the family, arrived and immediately knew something was wrong. Something just didn't feel right. Professor McGonagall came out to meet us and said Dumbledore had left the castle, but had given instructions for some Order members to be stationed here just in case. Fleur told your Professor about what she had sensed and we set out to find you when we heard crashing and banging. As soon as we got to this floor we saw Death Eaters coming round the corner and here we are."

They jumped again when a body made contact with the wall just behind them and breathed a sigh of relief when they saw it was a Death Eater. Both Hermione and Armand held their wands out, but he didn't stir.

"We should get you out of here, my dear and find Fleur," suggested Armand.

"No, we can't," said the brunette. "I must get to the Astronomy Tower. Sabine is here, with Aurelie and Bellatrix Lestrange. She's going to try and kill Dumbledore."

Armand's face darkened. He opened his mouth to protest.

"Please, Armand," begged Hermione. "We don't have time. Dumbledore and Harry could be back at any moment and they have no idea what they'll be walking into. There isn't time to find Fleur, I have to go now."

Fleur's father had paled, but he nodded. "Fine, but I'm coming with you. That's not up for debate," he said firmly, as the brunette showed signs of objecting.

Hermione reluctantly nodded. They peered out from behind the pile of stone and darted into the chaos, Armand following the brunette as she raced in the direction of the stairs. She willed her legs to move faster, but was very aware of the fact that she was the Veela and Armand was not. He was panting heavily, but managed to keep up with her. The adrenaline coursing through his veins helping.

Finally they reached the stairs that would take them up to the Astronomy Tower. Hermione turned and gave Armand a look to let him know they were there. Being careful to make as little noise as possible, they made their way up the stairs. Every shadow looked like a Death Eater waiting to strike and the brunette had to calm her breathing to try and gain some composure. Her Veela was there, soothing her, and she allowed it to take the lead.

Hermione and Armand paused a few steps from the top and shared a look. He grasped his wand tighter in his hand and the brunette did the same. Steeling herself she flew up the final few steps and came out onto the top of the Astronomy Tower.

There was no one there.

Puzzled she stood there for a moment and felt despair wash over her. If Sabine wasn't here, how could she stop her from killing Dumbledore. Suddenly she felt her Veela spring to life with a warning, but before she could react she felt something hit her on the side and Hermione found herself hurtling through the air. A shout from Armand rang out as she hit the railing, hard. It was nearly torn from its fixings and for a moment Hermione thought it was going to give way and she would go over the edge. Gasping as she tried to catch her breath and clutching at her side, the brunette looked in the direction from where the spell had come from.

"You really are quite annoying, aren't you?" sneered Aurelie, emerging from where she had been hiding, her wand outstretched.

Bellatrix cackled, coming from the other side, her wand pointing at Armand. She gestured for him to move from the stairs into the open. He glared back at the witch, but slowly moved over. He clearly wanted to stand next to Hermione, but Bellatrix was stood firmly between them.

The brunette's side was stinging and she was sure that a rib or two had been broken, but what was grabbing her attention more was the sight of Sabine stood behind her mother. Her face was half-hidden in darkness and she had her wand at her side. Hermione shot Aurelie a filthy look and then glared at Sabine, who looked away.

"I won't let you kill him," snarled Hermione, ignoring Aurelie and looking instead at Sabine.

"You don't look like you're in much of a position to do anything," laughed the oldest Veela. "My daughter is here to do what needs to be done. That man has ruined my life, ruined her life and he has tried to destroy our family."

"You won't be able to stop us," said Bellatrix, menacingly.

"Watch me," yelled the brunette. "I will fight with everything I have to stop Sabine from doing this."

"Will you now," sneered Aurelie. "Well, I see no reason to keep you alive then."

Aurelie raised her wand. Hermione watched as if in slow motion, frozen in place. She watched as Aurelie's mouth began to form the words, as she drew her arm back to cast the deadly spell. The brunette saw that spell begin to form at the tip of the wand, saw it fire out the end and move towards her. From the corner of her eye she saw a shape moving. Hermione raised her hands to defend herself as the spell came flying towards her. Armand came out of nowhere and jumped in front of her. His body shook as the spell hit and he fell crashing to the floor, his face turned towards the brunette.

The twinkle that Hermione had enjoyed seeing in his eyes was no longer twinkling.


	25. Chapter 25

It took Hermione a few moments to fully realise what had happened. She found herself unable to break her gaze from Armand's lifeless face and that face stared back at her.

"Well that was a stupid thing to do," stated Bellatrix, simply.

Aurelie glared at her. "You were supposed to be keeping an eye on him."

The dark witch shrugged. "Not my fault if the idiot wants to die."

Hermione felt numb. She didn't know what to do and still felt frozen in place. How was she going to tell Fleur? God, how was she going to tell Apolline? She couldn't even bring herself to think about poor Gabrielle. The youngest Delacour had such a close bond with her father. Her Veela seemed to be in a state of shock. She gave it a shake to try and rouse it, but there was no response. It too was feeling the loss of Armand.

The brunette looked up to glare at Aurelie, but was shocked to see that Sabine was stood with her wand pointing at her mother. There was a look of pure fury on her face. Before anything else happened a sound like a breeze was heard and all four women looked to see Dumbledore and Harry on broomsticks coming towards the Astronomy Tower. The former looked to be in a bad way. He was leaning awkwardly on his broom.

Hermione made to get up to run and warn them, but Bellatrix hit her with a spell and dragged her out the way. The brunette chanced another glance at Sabine and saw the dark-haired Veela was staring at the figure of Dumbledore coming closer and closer. Her wand was still slightly raised, although now pointing in the direction of Bellatrix. Hermione had never seen her looking so conflicted. Aurelie turned her attention back to her daughter and grasped her by both shoulders. She hadn't seemed to notice Sabine pointing her wand at Bellatrix.

"This is it," murmured Aurelie. "This is the moment we've waited for. Now is our chance to rid the world of Dumbledore and all the misery he brings. I'm so proud of you."

Sabine opened her mouth to speak, but her mother pulled her into an alcove. Bellatrix wrapped an arm around the brunette and yanked her into a shadow to hide. Hermione gave out a yelp as the dark witch's arm made contact with her wound and ribs, her eyes watering in pain. A hand was roughly placed over Hermione's mouth to prevent her from making any more noise or shouting out any form of warning.

Dumbledore flew over the ramparts and landed. He shakily got off his broom and nearly fell over. Harry landed just behind him and rushed to offer support.

"Go and wake Professor Snape, Harry," murmured the Headmaster, it seemed to be a struggle for him to talk.

"I should stay..."started Harry.

"You swore you would do what I say," said Dumbledore. "Go now."

"No one is going anywhere." Aurelie emerged from the alcove. She shot a look of pure hatred at the Headmaster.

"Who are you?" demanded Harry, raising his wand.

It flew out of his hand as Bellatrix moved into the light, pulling Hermione along with her. The brunette tried to speak, but the dark witch's hand was still clasped tightly over her mouth. All she could manage was a muffled groan, wincing as Bellatrix squeezed right where her ribs were hurting.

"Aurelie," said a stunned Dumbledore.

"Hello, old man," she sneered in reply. "You don't look so good."

"Yes, well I have been better," replied the Headmaster. "I see you brought Bellatrix with you. And what is the point in your being here? This is a place of learning where innocent minds live, not somewhere for you and your Death Eater friends to attack."

"We aren't here for your students, you old fool. We are here to support my daughter in her mission," snarled Aurelie.

"Mission? What mission?" Dumbledore looked incredibly pale and was shaking slightly, but his eyes were alert and flicking around the whole tower.

Harry seemed unable to move. Hermione tried to wriggle out of Bellatrix's grasp, but couldn't. She felt for her Veela, but it seemed to still be struggling with what had just happened to Armand. Never before had she felt so helpless and she knew her Veela felt the same.

"My daughter is here to rid the world of you," said Aurelie, an evil smirk on her face. She turned and steered Sabine to stand in front of her.

Grasping her daughter's shoulders she leaned closer so she could whisper in Sabine's ear.

"This is it," she murmured. "Do it Sabine. Do it now and be celebrated as the woman who finally brought an end to Dumbledore."

Hermione felt her Veela begin to stir, the urge to stop Sabine from making a terrible mistake pushing her to fight with everything she had. Bellatrix gripped her harder as the dark-haired Veela raised her wand. This was going to happen. Sabine was going to kill Dumbledore.

"You don't have to do this, young one," urged Dumbledore.

"No," replied Sabine, simply. "I really do."

She raised her wand and pointed at Dumbledore. For the first time he seemed to be a helpless, old man. Sabine gripped her wand tighter, her hand shaking. Aurelie leaned close again and whispered words of encouragement in her daughter's ear, all the while smirking at Dumbledore and sharing a look with Bellatrix. Sabine shut her eyes, a lone tear falling down her cheek.

"Please," begged Dumbledore, his voice trembling.

Sabine's eyes flew open. "I have to do this. I hope you can understand."

She raised her wand ready to cast and shared a look with Hermione. The brunette couldn't watch. She heard Sabine shout something, but it wasn't the Killing Curse. Opening her eyes, she was startled to see that the dark-haired Veela wasn't aiming at Dumbledore. The spell rushed past Hermione's head and hit Bellatrix instead. The dark witch relinquished her hold on Hermione and flew backwards, hitting the wall. She wasn't dead, but nor was she moving.

"What have you done?" screamed Aurelie, rushing to Bellatrix's side.

"The only thing I could do," Sabine yelled back. "This wasn't supposed to happen. None of this."

"You were supposed to kill him," shouted Aurelie. "Not betray us."

Tears were pouring out of Sabine's eyes. "Betray you? What about the family? You attacked them, Valentine nearly died. No one else was supposed to get hurt tonight, but Armand is dead."

"That's his own fault," shot back Aurelie. "He didn't have to jump in front of the spell..."

"He saved Hermione." Sabine was crying uncontrollably. "You were going to kill her and he did what I couldn't, he saved her."

Aurelie moved away from Bellatrix, looking furious. Her eyes were shining brightly, having changed colour the moment the dark witch was hit with the spell.

"She is nothing. She means nothing," spat Aurelie, pointing at Hermione. "Killing Dumbledore is all that matters now. So kill him and be done with it. Then we can move on and forget about this sudden blip." When her daughter didn't move, the older Veela sighed. "Fine, if you're too weak to do it."

Hermione made to shout out, but before she could Aurelie had cast the Killing Curse. A green light hit Dumbledore. He looked shocked for a moment, before collapsing dead. Harry yelled out and finally seemed able to move. He rushed to the side of Dumbledore's body and wept as he realised he was dead. The brunette didn't know what to do.

"Pathetic," sneered Aurelie, watching Harry cry over the body of the Headmaster. "If you want something done..." She turned to face her daughter. "We need to leave, now."

Sabine dropped her head. "All I ever wanted from the moment I met you, was to get to know my mother. It's all I wanted. Astoria never felt like a mother to me and when I found out the truth about you, I thought that this was it, my moment to finally feel close to someone."

"And we can be," murmured Aurelie, clearly trying to regain control of the situation, "we just need to get out of here first."

The dark-haired Veela gave a small humourless laugh. "All I ever wanted was my mother," she paused, "but you are not it."

Raising her wand, Sabine shot a spell at Aurelie. The older Veela didn't have time to conjure a shield. The spell hit her in the chest and she flew through the air. Hermione watched horrified as she hit the railing. This time it gave way and Aurelie disappeared over the edge of the rampart and out of sight. For a moment Sabine looked shocked, but then she sank to the floor and started crying again, her body shaking uncontrollably.

Despite everything that had happened, Hermione couldn't stand back and watch Sabine cry like this. She moved over to the dark-haired Veela and, after a moment's hesitation, she wrapped an arm around her shoulders. As soon as she felt the contact Sabine threw herself into the brunette's arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." She just kept repeating it over and over again, her tears falling freely.

Hermione cried too. She cried for the loss of Armand, the pain his death would inevitably cause and the pain Sabine had been in and was in now.

"We need to leave now," murmured the brunette. "We can't stay here at the moment. We need to notify everyone of...of what has happened here."

Harry looked up with red eyes. "I can't...I can't leave him, not like this."

"I know, Harry, I know, but we have to help the others," replied Hermione.

"Others?" said Harry.

"There are more Death Eaters in the castle. The Order and the Delacours were fighting them when...when Armand and I came up here to stop Sabine. We should..."

But Harry had already gone. His face had darkened upon learning there were more Death Eaters and he sprinted towards the stairs and out of sight before she could stop him. Hermione groaned, but turned her attention back to Sabine, who was now staring at Armand's lifeless body.

"I tried to stop her, you know," whispered the dark-haired Veela. "I saw what she was about to do, but didn't realise until a split second after him." Sabine turned to look Hermione in the eye. "I would never have let her kill you. You have to believe me."

Hermione nodded. She had seen Sabine pointing her wand at Aurelie after Armand had been hit. "We have to go."

The dark-haired Veela nodded. "What about Armand?"

They both glanced at his body.

"There could be more Death Eaters downstairs, there is no way of knowing whether the Order and the family have managed to beat them back. We should...we should probably leave him here, where it's...safe, then we can come and get him."

Sabine nodded and then started crying again. "What am I going to tell Fleur, Gabrielle and Aunt Apolline?"

Hermione felt her own tears falling and grasped both of the dark-haired Veela's hands. "We will cross that bridge later. For now, we need to get where it's safe." She glanced around the tower and realised, with horror, that there was one body missing. "Sabine, where's Bellatrix."

Sabine looked around as well and got to her feet like a shot with her wand out. There was no sign of the dark witch.

"I didn't see her leave, did you?" said Hermione.

"No," replied the dark-haired Veela, shaking her head. "Come on let's go." She looked at Armand's body and waved her wand. A blue silk sheet appeared over his body. "I couldn't leave him like that."

The brunette nodded. "I understand."

Hermione watched as Sabine glanced to the railing where Aurelie had fallen over. She turned away and shared a look with the brunette. "Let's go."

Together they moved to the stairs. Hermione glanced back at the sheet now covering Armand's body and then followed Sabine down the stone steps.

When they reached the bottom it was clear that the battle had moved through the castle. Walls had crumbled, portraits were torn and pieces of statues and suits of armour were scattered all over the place. They heard footsteps coming towards them and both witches prepared themselves for a fight when Fleur came sprinting around the corner. Hermione dropped her wand and threw herself at the blonde, who looked relieved upon seeing her lover. They clung onto one another desperately.

"I'm so glad you're safe," murmured Fleur. "I've been sensing your emotions for hours now and none of it was making any sense in the end. What happened?"

Hermione buried her head tight against her lover not wanting to look the blonde in the eye and tell her the awful truth. Fleur tried to lift her girlfriend's head up, so that she could look into her eyes, but the brunette resisted.

"Ma belle?"

"I...Fleur...I..." stammered Hermione. She finally lifted her head up and saw nothing but concern shining back at her. "It's..."

"You're worrying me now," said the blonde. "What aren't you telling me?"

It was at this point that Fleur spotted Sabine. Hermione suddenly felt herself being pulled behind Fleur as the blonde raised her wand and pointed straight at her cousin. The dark-haired Veela made no attempt to raise her hands or lift her wand to defend herself.

"Fleur, please," said Sabine. "Something has...happened."

A spell fired out the end of the blonde's wand and missed her cousin's head by inches. Sabine flinched slightly.

"You mean like when you came along with Aurelie and the Death Eaters to attack the family," shouted Fleur.

Hermione delicately grabbed her girlfriend's wrist and gently exerted some pressure to get Fleur to lower her wand. There were tears in her eyes and she knew this was the reason why the blonde allowed her to force her hand down.

"F...Fleur, it's your dad," whispered the brunette, feeling her heart break. "He was with me and we knew that Sabine was coming to kill Dumbledore. We went up to the Astronomy Tower to find Sabine and stop her. Bellatrix and Aurelie were there too. Aurelie...she...she..."

"She what?" said Fleur.

"She...Armand...he saved me...he...Aurelie was going to kill me...he...he..." Hermione couldn't form the words through the tears that were now falling.

"What happened to him?" asked the blonde, her voice becoming firmer.

"He's dead." Apolline came round the corner, tears falling down her face. She was staring at nothing in particular and was being followed by her mother and sisters, all of them crying too.

"No," shouted Fleur. "No, he can't be."

Hermione reached out a hand, but the blonde ran off in the direction of the Tower.

"He's gone, he's really gone," murmured Apolline, clutching at her heart and staring at the opposite wall. She seemed to have forgotten where she was and who she was with, no longer responding to her sisters or mother.

The brunette shared a look with Julienne and raced off after Fleur, Sabine following close behind. Once more Hermione took the steps two at a time and froze at the top as she saw Fleur sobbing into the shoulder of her father's body. Hermione knelt down beside her and placed a hand on her back. She didn't have a clue what to do, or how to comfort her girlfriend.

Fleur looked up at Hermione and fell against her, clutching onto the brunette, who responded by wrapping her arms around her.

"I'm so sorry, it's my fault..." The brunette choked on her words.

"It's not your fault," said Sabine, speaking for the first time.

Fleur raised her head and glared at her cousin. "You're right about that. It's yours."

Hermione felt herself fall back as the blonde stood up quickly with her wand raised, pointing directly at Sabine.


	26. Chapter 26

"Fleur," murmured Hermione. "Sabine wasn't the one who killed Armand."

"No, but she's the reason he's dead," snapped the blonde, her wand was shaking slightly as she gripped it.

Sabine made no move to defend herself, she seemed to have accepted whatever her cousin was going to do to her.

"Please, Fleur, don't do this," pleaded the brunette. "Your father wouldn't have wanted this and you will regret it if you do. This isn't you."

"Thanks to Aurelie, I'll never know what my father will think about anything ever again." Fleur choked up slightly."

"I never meant for him to be killed," said Sabine, finally speaking. "I just wanted to get rid of Dumbledore..."

Once more a spell flew at the dark-haired Veela from Fleur's wand, but this time Sabine ducked. Hermione moved to stand in front of her girlfriend's wand and the blonde tried to move her out of the way, but Hermione refused to budge.

"Get out of the way, Hermione!" shouted Fleur.

"No," said the brunette, stubbornly. "This is not you. You don't hurt people, Fleur and I won't let you start now."

"Why are you protecting her?" spat the blonde.

The question hurt, but Hermione still didn't move. "I'm not protecting her, I'm protecting you. If you do this then you will have to live with it for the rest of your life." Fleur looked at her girlfriend, who stared back defiantly. "Sabine has made terrible decisions this year and she needs to face up to what she's done, so please don't think I am supporting her, but hurting her won't solve anything," carried on Hermione.

Julienne suddenly appeared at the top of the stairs and came to an abrupt halt as she saw Fleur pointing her wand at Sabine and Hermione stood in between them. Astoria almost bumped into her mother as she followed close behind. Without hesitating, Astoria rushed over to Sabine and pulled her into a hug. The dark-haired Veela looked confused, but, after a moment, she wrapped her arms around the woman who had raised her. Julienne now stepped forward and put an arm on Sabine's shoulder.

"Why are you welcoming her back as if she's done nothing?" shouted Fleur, looking murderous. "She's the one that brought them all here and Aurelie killed my father because of that."

"I have made many mistakes in my life," said Julienne. "If anyone is to blame for Armand's death it's me. So if you are going to hurt someone then by all means point your wand in my direction. I was the one who turned my back on my daughter. I was the one who refused to help Aurelie when she needed it. I was the one who made the decision to keep the truth about Sabine from her and I was the one who made the same mistake twice when I wasn't there for Sabine when she needed me the most, the same way I wasn't there for Aurelie. I and I alone am the one responsible for what has happened tonight."

Fleur didn't know what to do. She gripped her wand harder, but she was still shaking. The blonde looked furiously from her grandmother to Sabine to Aurelie and finally Hermione. The brunette could see the torrent of emotions in her girlfriend's eyes. Fleur looked at Julienne once more who simply nodded. Finally, the blonde lowered her wand, still glaring at her cousin. Hermione stepped closer to Fleur and they hugged tightly, Fleur once more crying. Sabine broke away from Astoria and stood by the collapsed railing.

Fleur, Julienne and Astoria looked at Hermione for explanation.

"Aurelie killed Dumbledore," the brunette nodded at the Headmaster's body, "and then Sabine hit Aurelie with a spell. She went flying backwards and hit the railing. It gave way and she went over the edge."

All three women looked shocked and glanced at Sabine who remained standing silently by the railing. Astoria immediately went over to the dark-haired Veela and put an arm around her shoulder.

"I may not have given birth to you, but I am your mother and I always will be, no matter what," murmured Astoria.

Sabine turned to look at her and wrapped her arms tightly around Astoria, holding onto her tightly. Astoria welcomed the hug and fought back tears as her daughter sobbed into her shoulder.

There were footsteps on the stairs and they all turned to see Apolline appearing along with her sisters and some of Fleur's cousins. The newcomers all glanced towards the sheet covering Armand's body. No one paid the slightest attention to Dumbledore. Seemingly as if her legs were made of lead, Apolline stepped towards her husband's body and collapsed at his side. Julienne gestured for everyone to go and with solemn glances at the Veela now crying over her mate's body, the cousins, Agnes and Antonine turned and left.

Sabine looked apprehensive, but Astoria grasped her by the hand and led her to the stairs. The dark-haired Veela turned at the top and looked at Fleur and Apolline and then Armand. Tears rolled down her cheeks and she gripped Astoria's hand tighter. Turning, they walked down the stairs leaving just Julienne standing by her daughter and Fleur and Hermione, who were still holding onto one another tightly.

Hermione couldn't help but feel that she was intruding on a private moment. She felt as if she didn't belong at the top of the tower, alongside Fleur and Apolline. In truth the brunette felt torn between supporting her lover and giving her some time with her mother to mourn the loss of Armand.

"I...I should give you some time alone with him," murmured Hermione.

Fleur looked at her girlfriend and nodded in understanding. She kissed the brunette chastely. "I love you, ma belle."

"I love you too," said Hermione, fighting the tears.

They kissed again and the brunette made to head for the stairs, but Apolline stopped her, grabbing her by the hand.

"This isn't your fault, Hermione," whispered Apolline. "No matter what happened, you are not to blame."

Hermione couldn't say anything. The dam burst once more and she started crying. Hanging her hand, she nodded and squeezed Apolline's hand.

"I'll come with you, my dear," said Julienne grabbing the brunette's other hand. "We are all here for you when you are ready," she said to Apolline, who nodded.

Fleur kneeled down next to her mother and they hugged beside the body of Armand. Julienne and Hermione, still holding hands to support one another, headed down the stairs.

"They needed a moment alone and I couldn't let you walk away by yourself," said Julienne.

They reached the bottom of the stairs and found the family assembled along with most of the Order. McGonagall was near the front and looked grim. They all looked up as Hermione and Julienne emerged.

"We told them what happened," said Camille. "About A...Armand and Dumbledore." It was clear she had been crying and as Hermione looked around at the faces of the Delacours they were all tear-stained.

The brunette nodded, relieved that she didn't have to be the one to tell the Order about the Headmaster. "Where's Astoria and Sabine?"

"Astoria has taken Sabine off, she thought it for the best until a more suitable time," explained Agnes. Hermione couldn't help but notice the dark looks on all the cousins' faces.

"I...I just can't believe Albus is...that he's..." stammered McGonagall, drawing everyone's thoughts away from Sabine.

Professor Flitwick wiped a solitary tear away and Professor Sprout was dabbing her face with a handkerchief.

"Where's Harry and Malfoy?" asked Hermione, realising they were not there.

McGonagall's face turned hard. "It seems Mr Malfoy was helping the Death Eaters. He was spotted with his aunt, Bellatrix Lestrange. She came down from the Tower in a fury and hit many members of the Order with curses. They then fled towards the gates before we could stop them."

"And Harry?" The brunette was scared to know the answer.

"He chased after Malfoy and Lestrange," explained the Scottish witch. "We tried stopping him, but he was...well I don't know what he was like, he just wouldn't listen to us." Hermione knew all too well what Harry could get like. "He made it out into the grounds, where he met Professor Snape. It turns out that Severus has been on Voldemort's side all this time, because he hit Harry with a curse as soon as he made it out the doors. Mr Potter is in the Hospital Wing, but he'll make a full recovery."

"Snape?" said a shocked Hermione. "But that makes no sense."

"Indeed," replied McGonagall, her mouth the thinnest the brunette had ever seen.

"How many people were hurt?" asked Julienne.

"Several Order members were injured, but there were no fatalities. If it hadn't been for you and your family turning up, well I dread to think what would have happened," said the Scottish witch.

"That was all thanks to Hermione," replied Julienne. "Fleur sensed she was in trouble and heard Hermione's call for help."

Tonks came around the corner and approached the group. She nodded at Hermione and gave her a small smile, before turning to face McGonagall. "I've done a sweep of the grounds and there's no sign of anymore Death Eaters. They seem to have gone."

"And Malfoy?" asked McGonagall.

The Auror scowled. "He has gone with them and Snape too."

The Order members all wore dark expressions.

"Traitor," growled Kingsley Shacklebolt.

The others all nodded.

"We should collect Aurelie's body," said Hermione. All the Veelas turned to look at her and the brunette realised they didn't know what had happened, so she quickly explained before continuing. "We don't want any students to come across it and it wouldn't do for Sabine to see her body either. I know her and Astoria are going to try and repair their relationship, but Aurelie was her birth mother and Sabine wanted her to be a mother more than anything."

"She did?" asked Camille.

The brunette nodded. "It's what she said right before she hit Aurelie with that spell. Sabine said she wanted desperately for Aurelie to be her mother, to get to know her, but she wasn't what she expected."

"Hermione's right," said Julienne. "We should collect her body and then decide later what is to be done."

Camille looked as if she was going to make a not so nice suggestion, but an elbow from Astrid stopped her.

"We'll go," said Astrid. When Julienne made to argue, her granddaughter cut across her. "You shouldn't be the one to collect your daughter's body. We will do it." Astrid looked to her sister and cousins, who all nodded.

"She went over the edge of the Astronomy Tower," explained Hermione, trying to be as delicate as possible.

"She can't have done," said Tonks suddenly.

Hermione turned to look at the Auror. "She definitely did, I watched it all happen." Tonks bit her lip and looked from Julienne to the rest of the Delacours. "What?" said the brunette.

"There isn't a body at the bottom of the Tower," replied Tonks. "I went through the courtyard myself and then around the Tower looking for any more Death Eaters and there was no one else around."

A stunned silence followed the Auror's words.

"But...but she has to be," stammered Hermione. "I watched Sabine hit her with a spell and then Aurelie feel backwards and the railing gave way. She went over the edge and fell."

Tonks shook her head. "Well she's not at the bottom."

Julienne exchanged a worried look with her other two daughters, Agnes and Antonine.

Astrid stepped forward. "We have to be sure."

All the Veelas nodded.

"Agreed," said Julienne. "I will go to Beauxbatons. Gabrielle needs to be told." The Delacour matriarch's voice broke as she said this. "I...I can't let Apolline do it."

Agnes and Antonine hugged their mother.

"Leave everything else to us for the moment," murmured Agnes.

Julienne nodded and hurried off. The rest of the Veelas shared an anguished look, before heading off to check what Tonks had told them.

"I should go and check on Harry," said Hermione, once the others had left.

McGonagall nodded. The brunette glanced for a moment at the stairs to the Tower where she knew Fleur and Apolline were still coming to terms with Armand's death and then she too left the corridor, slowly walking in the direction of the Hospital Wing.

It was eerily silent as Hermione walked through the corridors. There were signs of the battle that had taken place and she felt sick when there were puddles of blood in places. So much destruction, all for what?

The Hospital Wing was just as silent. There were several beds occupied. She noticed Mad-Eye Moody in one and Bill Weasley in another. He was awake and gave a very weak smile as she entered. Madam Pomfrey came bustling out, ready to tell off any interloper, but nodded when she saw Hermione and pointed to the end of the wing where the brunette could see Harry sleeping.

She pulled up a chair next to his bed. It was funny how, in sleep, someone could look so peaceful despite all the chaos that reigned when conscious. Hermione suddenly felt the events of the evening catch up to her and lowered her head to her arms resting on the bed. She hadn't realised she had fallen asleep until she felt someone shaking her and awoke to the first rays of sun shining through the window. Looking at the person who woke her she saw a very tired and emotionally drained Fleur.

Immediately, the brunette stood up and hugged her girlfriend. She couldn't think of anything to say that would bring comfort. Fleur seemed to realise this and hugged her tighter.

"We should talk," murmured the blonde.

Hermione nodded and followed Fleur, hand in hand, out of the Hospital Wing. She wasn't sure where her girlfriend was taking her, but the brunette found she didn't care. Fleur walked out of the front doors and down the path towards the gates. They walked out of the grounds and headed in the direction of Hogsmeade. Hermione wasn't sure she should be leaving the grounds, but her need to support Fleur at this time made breaking the rules easy. The couple walked in silence and eventually arrived at their cottage. The blonde opened the door and stood aside to let Hermione in first. Fleur walked over to the sofa and Hermione sat down next to her.

"What can I do Fleur?" asked the brunette, grasping both her girlfriend's hands.

"Well you can start by explaining why you didn't tell me about the fact that you have been secretly communicating with Sabine all year."


	27. Chapter 27

"Wh...what?" spluttered Hermione, shocked. "How...how did you..."

"How did I know?" murmured the blonde, turning to look at her lover. "I can sense your emotions, Hermione. You've been feeling guilty all year and I couldn't figure out why. Then at Christmas you thought I was asleep and I woke up and you were reading that diary. I watched you throw it in the fire. Next morning there was still some left, it had slipped through the gaps in the wood and fallen onto the hearth. It wasn't much, but enough for me to realise what had been going on."

The brunette hated how broken Fleur sounded.

"I...I..." Hermione wasn't sure what to say.

How could she possibly begin to explain everything? The blonde turned away, unable to look at her lover anymore. Hermione didn't miss the tears that were beginning to shine in her girlfriend's eyes.

"Just please, tell me...why?" said Fleur, her voice breaking slightly. "Why couldn't you trust me?"

"I do trust you, you have to believe me," begged Hermione, grasping both of her lover's hands. "I absolutely trust you, I just...I don't even know where to start."

The blonde got up and walked away from her lover, before turning to face her once more. "How about the beginning? That's usually the best place to start."

Hermione nodded and took a deep breath. "It was when I got here, to Hogwarts I mean. I opened my trunk and found a diary with a message from Sabine. She said that she didn't want me thinking she'd left me on my own at Hogwarts this year and we started to write. She made me promise not to mention the diary to anyone."

"So you decided to be more loyal to your friend than your girlfriend?" Fleur looked furious and the brunette's heart broke knowing that she had caused it.

"It's not like that," Hermione desperately tried to explain. "I worried what would happen if the family got wind of it and I didn't want Sabine being put in any danger. At least, that's what I told myself anyway."

"What happened then?" asked the blonde, ignoring what Hermione had just said.

"Well, we didn't talk about much to be honest. She refused to tell me where she was, or who she was with. I tried getting her to come back, but she would just ignore me," carried on the brunette.

"What about the attack?" Fleur's eyes had darkened.

"I had no idea, I promise you that. I checked the diary immediately afterwards and saw there was no message from Sabine," said Hermione hurriedly.

"That's why you threw it in the fire," murmured the blonde.

Hermione nodded. "Yes. I didn't want anything more to do with her. I was determined to move on and forget that it even existed. I wanted to tell you all about the diary so much, but after the attack there never seemed to be a good moment."

"Excuse won't help," snapped Fleur.

The brunette winced, but knew she deserved it. "I...I'm not trying to make excuses." She could feel her own tears beginning to prick at her eyes, but wiped them away. "When I got back to Hogwarts, Sabine...she arrived in my room one evening, wanting to explain."

Fleur's eyes shot up and looked at Hermione, almost glaring. "What?"

"She...she said that she had nothing to do with the attack. We argued and I told her to leave. I said some not nice things..."

"No more than she deserved," cut in the blonde.

Hermione swallowed. "Yes, well...I didn't see her again, not until this evening. That's...that's all of it."

"I still don't get why you couldn't tell me," said Fleur. She was trying to keep the anger out of her voice, but was failing.

"I...I don't know. I just don't know why I didn't tell you. I thought I was protecting her," mumbled Hermione.

"We are supposed to be mates," shouted the blonde, finally losing her temper. Her eyes had changed colour and were flashing furiously. "We are supposed to be in love. You accepted that promise ring from me. I thought you loved me..."

"I do love you..." Hermione rushed over to Fleur, trying to grasp her hands once more, but the blonde wrenched them away.

"You have a funny way of showing it," screamed Fleur.

"Fleur, please, I love you more than anything..."

"You have a funny way of showing it." The blonde was now pacing backwards and forwards, looking as if she was about to lose all the control she had left. "How am I supposed to trust you ever again? You lied to me."

They were both crying. Hermione didn't know what to say. She felt her heart breaking.

"I know what I have done is terrible, in keeping the truth from you, but I didn't know what to do. I've felt terrible all year, not knowing what the right course of action was. The only certain thing in my life is you and how much I love you. I will do anything, anything..."

"I...I can't do this right now," snapped Fleur.

Without another word the blonde walked out of the cottage, slamming the door behind her. Hermione rushed after her, but before she even made it to the front door she heard the crack of apparation and when she made it outside Fleur had already gone.

"Fleur!" Hermione shouted into the darkness, her tears falling thick and fast. "Fleur, please, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." The brunette fell to the floor, sobbing.

She didn't know how long she knelt there. How had everything gone so wrong? Armand was dead, Dumbledore was dead, Aurelie may or may not have killed her own mother, Fleur was furious and rightly so and it was all Hermione's fault. The brunette continued kneeling on the floor, her face touching the grass and let her tears fall. Never had she got things so badly wrong.

"H...Hermione?"

Looking up the brunette saw Harry and Ron stepping cautiously towards her.

"Harry," she murmured. "Ron."

They looked at her with sympathy.

"Come on, you can't stay here," whispered Harry.

Bending down he helped her off the floor. Once she was on her feet he used his sleeve to wipe the tears from her cheeks. Ron came up on the other side of her and rubbed her back soothingly.

"I've messed up really badly," sobbed Hermione.

Both boys wrapped an arm around her and led her back into the cottage. Ron made sure she was seated comfortably on the sofa and held her hand, rubbing the backs of her hands. Harry went into the kitchen. She could hear him bustling around doing something. He emerged a short while later carrying a tray with three mugs of tea. He passed one to Hermione, who thanked him and he sat down on the other side of her.

"I don't deserve this," she murmured.

"Nonsense," said Ron.

Hermione shook her head. "I lied to Fleur. I didn't tell her I'd been talking to Sabine all year. She's so angry at me right now."

If the boys were surprised they didn't show it.

"She's angry now, but she'll calm down," said Harry. "She loves you, you'll see."

"I don't know if she will even want to be with me after this." She broke down again and Ron quickly took the mug from her hand and set it on the table.

Harry wrapped an arm around her once more and brought her head to his shoulder. He held her as she wept, whilst Ron rubbed her back and brushed the hair out of her eyes.

"Everyone makes mistakes Mione," murmured Ron. "You just don't make them often, like the two of us for instance."

"Ron's right," said Harry. "Once Fleur has calmed down, you can talk again. After everything that's happened tonight...it just needs time, the emotion is too raw right now."

Hermione nodded against Harry's chest. "I don't know what I'm going to do if I lose her."

"You won't," said Ron, firmly. "You two are meant for each other. I've never seen a couple so in love before."

"You can't know that," replied the brunette.

"Maybe we don't," said Harry," but what I do know is that the two of us will be here for you, always."

The boys stayed, with Harry holding her and Ron offering words of reassurance until finally Hermione fell into an exhausted sleep. They exchanged worried looks with one another.

"What if Fleur breaks up with her?" asked Ron, keeping his voice quiet so as not to wake her.

"Then she will need us more than ever," replied Harry.

XXXXX

The sun was high in the sky now, a strange sight after the events of the previous night. It seemed to Sabine as if the sun wouldn't rise. She had allowed herself to be taken off by Astoria, away from the rest of the family and she was grateful for that.

They deserved an explanation after everything she had put them through over the course of the year and especially the events of last night, but for now she needed air and time to process everything. Astoria had fallen asleep, allowing Sabine to quietly slip away. She let her feet take her, but was not surprised when they brought her back to the Astronomy Tower. Dumbledore and Armand's bodies had been moved and were now resting in the Hospital Wing.

The dark-haired Veela was still in a state of shock about her uncle's death. She still expected him to come strolling in with that booming laugh of his and the playful twinkle in his eyes. The fact that that would never happen again pained Sabine more than she had realised it would. It seemed like so many she only now realised the true importance of something now it was lost.

Hearing footsteps behind her, she sighed, knowing already who was coming up. She didn't need to turn around to know who was waiting to talk to her.

"Sabine?"

She took a moment to compose herself by staring out across the grounds of Hogwarts, before turning to face the assembled group. Her family were stood there, minus Fleur and Hermione. Sabine guessed they were off together somewhere. No doubt the brunette was comforting her girlfriend in the wake of Armand's death.

"What would you like to know?" murmured Sabine.

Judging by the reaction of her family, they had not expected her to be so open and upfront.

Apolline stepped forward and Sabine braced herself. Sure enough a stinging slap was delivered to her face and her head whipped to the side as a result of the impact. She knew it was due, so made no attempt to stop her aunt from reacting. What did surprise her was Apolline then immediately wrapping her up in a hug. The dark-haired Veela stood frozen in place for a moment, confused by what was happening, but soon wrapped her arms around her aunt and held her whilst she sobbed gently into Sabine's shoulder. They drew back and looked at one another.

"I don't blame you," whispered Apolline, loud enough for the rest to hear. "Armand's death is not your fault. You have made mistakes, big ones, bringing those monsters here, no less." Sabine nodded, unable to look her aunt in the eye. "But, I want you to know I do not blame you."

Apolline turned and made to rejoin the family, but turned to face the dark-haired Veela once more. "The slap was for bringing the Death Eaters here." She went to stand next to Julienne, who wrapped a supportive arm around her daughter.

Sabine nodded in understanding and faced the whole family. "I...I never meant for a lot of tonight to happen. I..."

"What was your plan?" interjected Camille, staring daggers at her cousin.

"Camille," scolded Julienne. "Let her speak."

The cousins looked like they wanted to argue, but stayed silent. Julienne gave a nod to Sabine to continue.

"It's complicated, but I know that's not the answer," she said hurriedly, when glares were aimed at her from her cousins. "I was so...so angry when I left in the summer. Everything, my whole life had been a lie. I didn't know who to trust..."

"You could have trusted us," interrupted Valentine.

Sabine shook her head. "We have never been that close, not really. I didn't behave in the best way and you always sided with Fleur in everything. I never felt like I was part of the family. When the truth came out, it's like everything made sense. I'd been held at arms' length by my mother and aunts and finally I knew why. I had got closer with all of you," she looked at her cousins, "and when we all found out about Aurelie, I thought it would be ruined. Then Aurelie's letter came and...I just thought it would be my chance to feel close to someone."

Astoria was crying, as were most of the older generation, finally hearing about the pain their choices had caused.

"I was scared. I didn't know who to trust, whether everything was going to get swept under the rug, but most of all I was angry. I needed someone to blame and I wanted to blame my mother and Grandmere, but the more I thought about it, the more I felt anger and resentment towards Dumbledore. He's the one who used Aurelie and tried to ruin our family. I let my anger consume me until it became an obsession. I love you all, but I needed to know who I was and there were questions I had, ones that needed answering and Aurelie was the only one who could do that. So, I left. I snuck out before the sun came up. Her letter told me she had hidden a portkey down the road. When I used it, I landed in this house and she was there. She answered every question I had and we spent weeks just getting to know one another. It was just the two of is doing things that I expected to do with my mother." At this Sabine gave Astoria an apologetic look. "That time we spent together was amazing, as if there was no Dumbledore, or Voldemort, but then things changed."

"What do you mean?" asked Corinne.

"She...I don't really know when it happened. It must have been gradual, because she was slipping Dumbledore's name into conversation more and more. It was clear she hated him. A couple of times she lost her temper. I started getting worked up about him one evening and she could see how angry I was getting. It was then she mentioned that Voldemort wanted Dumbledore gone and if we wanted it then the Dark Lord would give us all the help we wanted. I was angry, I blamed him for everything and I said I wanted him dead. She brought me along to meet him, Voldemort I mean."

Sabine paled considerably at the memory and everyone else exchanged looks.

"He was...terrifying. I've never known a person like him. He was trying to be charming, but it just gave me the shivers. I told him I wanted no part of being a Death Eater, but I wanted Dumbledore dead, same as him. We, that is me and Aurelie, had come up with a plan to infiltrate Hogwarts and kill Dumbledore."

"How?" asked Apolline.

Sabine swallowed nervously. "Well, when I was here last year, I spent a lot of time exploring the castle, especially when Hermione was in lessons where she didn't need me. I was fascinated by the Room of Requirement when we discovered it and I spent a while trying to think of different things and seeing what the Room provided. It was during that time I found a Vanishing Cabinet. It was in there with a whole load of other objects. I didn't think much of it at the time, but when I was out with Aurelie once, she took me to Borgin and Burkes. She wanted to get something for Bellatrix." Sabine pulled a face. "It was when I was waiting around for her to finish talking to Borgin that I saw another Vanishing Cabinet. It looked exactly the same, identical markings and everything. Borgin noticed me looking and started talking about it. When I said there was one just like it in Hogwarts he seemed astonished. That's when he explained that if the two cabinets had the same markings it meant there would be a passage between them. One could step into one and reappear in the other. The only problem was the Hogwarts one was broken and needed fixing."

"So, that's how you managed it," murmured Apolline, staring into space.

"Yes," replied Sabine. "When he told us this, I figured out that if I wanted to kill Dumbledore then this was the way to get to him. He would never suspect an attempt on his life within the confines of Hogwarts. Voldemort thought it was brilliant and asked me what I needed in order to accomplish it. I knew that if I was to succeed I would need a distraction. It was Bellatrix that came up with it. She volunteered Draco, her nephew. I contacted him and told him exactly what to do. I needed a distraction and in order for that to work, it meant that Hermione and everyone else needed to suspect him. I ordered Borgin to send me this cursed necklace I'd seen when I visited his shop and used the Imperious Curse on a student when they were all out for a Hogsmeade weekend. I made her carry it up to the castle, but on the way she must have touched it, because the curse affected her. She spent months recovering in St. Mungo's."

"Sabine!" said Astoria.

"I know, I know it was wrong. I never expected her to touch it. I wasn't thinking straight, but I was spending all my time repairing this Vanishing Cabinet. I was desperate, thinking I would fail. Everyone suspected Draco was behind it. Harry was became obsessed with the idea of him being behind it. I knew it needed to stay that way, Hermione was too smart and I knew it wouldn't be long before she realised Draco wasn't clever enough. I...I poisoned a bottle of mead that one of the Professors had ordered for Dumbledore's Christmas present. I had put the owner of the Three Broomsticks pub under the Imperious Curse. The teachers always chatted to her, so I thought she would be able to keep me up to date on Dumbledore's whereabouts. When she told me that the Potions Master had placed an order for a bottle, I had her lace it with poison. I figured it would be a better way of attempting to get rid of Dumbledore, because it was a present for him."

"It didn't work though, did it?" said Julienne.

Sabine shook her head. "The Professor forgot to give it to Dumbledore. I just thought the old man hadn't opened it, then I heard that Hermione's friend Ron had been poisoned by a bottle of mead and realised what had happened." The dark-haired Veela started crying. "I never meant to hurt anyone else, I just wanted to get rid of Dumbledore. How could he be allowed to get away with causing so much pain? He was going to hurt our family. He was the one who told Guinevere the truth and she used that to try and ruin you all. I couldn't let him get away with that, or anything else."

"What happened after that?" asked Camille.

The dark-haired Veela wiped her cheek with the back of her sleeve. "Erm, after that...er...I focused on trying to fix the cabinet."

"How could you fix it without being in Hogwarts?" asked Julienne.

"Dumbledore had made alterations to the wards protecting the school. He adjusted them so Guinevere could get in. I sensed her here one night, but by the time I'd got to wherever she'd been she had always vanished. I could smell the bitch everywhere. I used the adjustments to slip in and out. I don't think Dumbledore ever realised."

"So why not just kill him then?" asked Valentine, throwing up her hands in frustration.

"Aurelie made me promise to let her be there to see it," replied Sabine. "I wanted to just march into his office, but she always talked me out of it. She said that he was a powerful wizard and I needed backup. The alterations to the wards only let you in if you meant no actual harm to anyone in the castle. Guinevere never actually entered the castle with the purpose of hurting Hermione physically, so that's how she got through. When I passed through the wards my intention wasn't to hurt Dumbledore, no matter how much I may have wanted to, I was there to fix the Cabinet. It was surprisingly easy to sneak in and out."

"What about the attack on our family," growled Camille.

"I didn't know anything about that, I swear," said Sabine, looking horrified. "I was sat in the house when Aurelie came in with Bellatrix. She said there was somewhere we needed to go. She explained that there wasn't enough time to go into detail, just that we were doing something necessary. Next thing I know she's taken me via Side-Along apparation and I'm outside the house. I tried to stop them."

"You pulled me out," said Valentine.

Sabine nodded. "I had to get you out to safety. I saw the ceiling come down and quickly cast a spell and rushed to help where I could. When Grandmere and Aunt Apolline came near I hurried away."

"Why?" asked Julienne. "You could have stayed."

"I knew you would all blame me, say I had something to do with it and that I must have known the attack was coming. I think Aurelie knew I would warn you if you told me," said Sabine, avoiding looking at anyone.

"But you must have seen that Aurelie wasn't like she says she was?" said Astoria.

"I don't think I realised it fully. I was still angry at Dumbledore and it was becoming an obsession. I was sick for days after the attack. I wanted to come back, but I felt I couldn't. I knew you wouldn't believe me and I needed to see my task with Dumbledore through. I spent more time at Hogwarts then and away from Aurelie and Bellatrix. The sooner I got the Cabinet fixed, the sooner I could get away."

Camille and the other cousins looked at Sabine sharply. "You were going to leave her?"

"Yes. I don't think I fully realised what that meant then, but I was starting to figure out that Aurelie wasn't at all who I thought she was. Most of the time she was the most caring person in the world, but other times she seemed deranged."

"And then what happened tonight?" asked Apolline.

"I...I finished the cabinet and told Aurelie. She told me how proud she was of me and asked if I was ready. I thought it was just going to be me and her, but when I turned up at Borgin and Burkes she had brought Bellatrix and other Death Eaters. I protested but none of them were listening. Next thing I know, Aurelie is dragging me through the cabinet and we are standing in the Room of Requirement. The rest you know."

Sabine couldn't bring herself to talk about what happened after that, at least not yet. However, if Apolline insisted then she would. As it was, it seemed her aunt already knew what she needed to know and remained quiet.

"I...I never meant for...for what happened. I just..I just wanted to protect you all from Dumbledore and I didn't see any other way. I will accept whatever consequences there are for my actions, I know I deserve it."

"Hermione told us that you couldn't do it," said Apolline. "That when the time came, you couldn't kill Dumbledore. Why?"

"He seemed so helpless and Hermione was there telling me not to do it," said Sabine. "I just realised in that moment that he wasn't worth it. For all the pain he has caused us, killing him wouldn't have changed anything. I don't think it would have made me feel any better either. If anything I would have felt worse and I would be no better than Bellatrix and the rest of her Death Eater friends."

They stayed standing in silence for a while.

"So...what happens now?" asked Valentine.

Julienne sighed. "Sabine has a case to answer for due to what happened to the two students who were harmed as a result of her actions."

"I will hand myself in," said the dark-haired Veela, quickly. "I meant what I said."

"Then we will go together," murmured Astoria. "No matter what happens, you are my daughter and I will support you in everything."

"Me too," said Valentine, stepping forward.

"What?" asked an astonished Camille, staring at her sister.

Valentine faced her sisters and cousins. "We have a choice to make. Either we turn our back on Sabine, which, no offense, our parents and aunts did to Aurelie and look where that got us, or we forgive and try and move on. Armand's death was not Sabine's fault, you heard Aunt Apolline. Hasn't there been enough heartache and sorrow?"

They looked at one another and slowly began to nod. Camille took the longest but after sharing a hard look with her sister, she stepped forward/

"There's still a lot of making up to do, but Valentine is right," said Camille.

The family wrapped their arms around one another in a tight hug and comforted one another as their tears fell.

Footsteps caused them to break apart and turn to face the stairs. Ron appeared at the top panting.

"There you are," he wheezed, struggling to take in breath.

"Mr Weasley, isn't it," said Julienne. "What's the matter?"

"It's Hermione and Fleur," he explained. "They've just had a massive argument. Hermione's in bits back at the cottage and Fleur...well, I don't actually know where Fleur's gone, but it's bad. Hermione reckons Fleur might break up with her."

"We need to find Fleur," said Apolline. "If Aurelie is alive, there is nothing she likes more than revenge and now Dumbledore's dealt with, I have a feeling we will be next."


	28. Chapter 28

The sun was shining prominently in the sky above Hogsmeade and despite the devastation of the previous night, the village was a hive of activity as its inhabitants began to stir. The news from the castle had not yet reached the ears of those living in the village.

Harry winced as he came back into consciousness. For a moment he was puzzled at his unfamiliar surroundings before he remembered where he was. Harry wondered briefly why his arm was numb until he glanced down and saw Hermione leaning against it, fast asleep. It was clear to the boy wizard that even in sleep the witch was troubled. A frown creased her features and she was mumbling incoherently to herself. Despite how anxious she looked, Harry couldn't bring himself to wake her. With difficulty he tried to extract his arm from under Hermione's hand, taking great care to not jolt her. After several minutes of barely breathing, he managed to free his arm. The brunette snuggled in deeper to the cushions and Harry let out the breath he had been holding.

He was about to go and get started on some food when the front door opening signalled someone's arrival. Hoping it was Fleur he rushed out, only to instead by greeted by a rather shocked looking Julienne.

"Ah, Monsieur Potter," she smiled. "Is Hermione here?"

"Erm, yes, she's still asleep." He gestured to the living room and the Delacour matriarch walked through.

She smiled to herself, although her eyes were tinged slightly with sadness. It was apparent to the Veela that Hermione was troubled.

"Fleur and Hermione, they...they..." Harry tried to explain, but Julienne held up a hand.

"It's quite alright, your friend, Monsieur Weasley, has already come and told us," explained Julienne. "Apolline has gone off to find Fleur and they will return shortly."

The wizard nodded, but didn't look completely reassured.

"I understand your concern," Julienne carried on. "Hermione and Fleur have had an argument and no doubt she was in quite a state when you found her." Harry nodded, glancing to his friend as she fidgeted in her sleep. "Rest assured they will be fine. Veela's are very possessive creatures and my dear granddaughter has let her emotions get the better of her."

"I'll take your word for it," murmured Harry. He wasn't quite sure what to do, whether to stay and support Hermione, or give her space to talk things through with Fleur.

Julienne seemed to read his mind. "It might be better for you to return to the castle. A lot has happened and I'm sure you, like so many others, will need to come to terms with everything, not to mention the loss of your Headmaster."

Reluctantly, Harry had to agree with her. With one last glance he turned to leave, but paused at the door to face Julienne again.

"Just promise me she'll be okay," he said. "I may not have always been the best friend to her, but seeing her like this..." He allowed his sentence to trail off, unsure of how to put exactly how he felt into words.

The Delacour matriarch seemed to understand and gave the boy a warm smile. With a curt nod, Harry departed, hoping that when he next saw his friend, she would be far happier than she was currently.

Julienne sighed to herself. "When did things get so complicated?" she muttered.

Deciding that question was better left unanswered, she focused on distracting herself until Apolline arrived with Fleur. Hermione needed her sleep, so the old Veela settled on heading to the kitchen to busy herself making food.

The hours ticked by and still Hermione slept, albeit disturbed. The brunette would occasionally yell out a word, or two and then fall into mumbling, always with that deep frown. Julienne stayed sitting by her side, watching over the young girl carefully.

Just when Julienne was becoming concerned, a faint popping sound was heard, which could only mean that Apolline had returned. The Delacour matriarch just hoped that Fleur was with her. She dreaded to think what would happen if she was not.

Not wanting to look too anxious, Julienne remained where she was, fighting the urge to run to the door to check that her granddaughter had come with her mother. She needn't have worried. Apolline came into the cottage and gave her mother a nod and smile to indicate she had been successful. Fleur trudged in behind her mother. It was clear that the blonde had been crying and had also taken her anger out on something, at least her grandmother hoped it was something and not someone.

As if sensing her mate's return, Hermione finally awoke. Her eyes shot over to Fleur and the brunette jumped off the sofa to rush towards her girlfriend. Just before reaching her, Hermione skidded to a halt, remembering why it was she was feeling so terrible in the first place. Fleur, for her part, looked torn between wanting to wrap her mate up in her arms and wanting to have a talk first.

An awkward silence fell on the room. Apolline and Julienne watched the two young lovers, trying to gauge if another argument was about to break out needing them to intervene. Finally, Fleur spoke.

"You two can go," she said simply. "It should just be the two of us."

Julienne wanted to protest, but there was a determined look in her granddaughter's eye and she knew there would be no point arguing. Apolline gave her mother a reassuring look and left without hesitation.

"If you need anything," murmured Julienne, looking to Hermione, as well as Fleur. She hoped that the two could work through things. The consequences of not doing so were dire and the old Veela had also become rather attached to the brunette.

Hermione looked apprehensive when the two lovers were left on their own. There was so much she wanted to say, but was unsure how it would be received. Fleur's face was hard to read, her emotions seemingly closed off since they had last spoken. Although it had only been a matter of hours, it felt like days to Hermione.

"I'm sorry," said the brunette, finally. "I never meant to keep secrets from you. Well, obviously I did, because I didn't tell you about everything with Sabine, but I thought I was doing the right thing. I know that that wasn't right by you, but I...I..."

"I know," interrupted Fleur. "My mother spoke to me. Once I had told her about everything she started to play devil's advocate, explaining why you did the things you did, why you kept secrets."

Hermione hung her head. "I love you Fleur, more than anything. I should have trusted you with what was going on and I didn't."

"You thought you were doing the right thing," murmured the blonde. Hermione nodded. "You should have told me."

"I know that," said the brunette. "I honestly don't know why I didn't. I told myself that I was protecting Sabine, but I don't know from what really. Would you have kept it from the rest of the family if I had told you?"

"Probably not," replied Fleur. "I guess that's why you didn't say anything. You knew I would tell the family and then we would come up with some plan to try and get Sabine back."

"I was afraid of that," said Hermione. "Everyone suffered so much with Aurelie and what she did that I didn't want history repeating itself."

Silence fell between the pair.

The brunette was afraid to ask her next question, but knew that she had to. "Can you ever forgive me?"

Fleur opened her mouth, but quickly shut it again. Hermione's blood ran cold and her heart plummeted.

"You lied to me and kept me in the dark," said the blonde. "I...I can forgive you, but it can't happen again. Dammit, I love you so much, I'm not about to throw what we have away, but you can't lie to me again, or keep things from me."

Hermione nodded, feeling her heart start beating normally again, and stepped closer to Fleur. "I won't, I promise I won't. I love you and I will never do anything like this again. I can't lose you."

The blonde hesitated, but wrapped her arms around her lover and Hermione nearly collapsed into the hug. She never wanted to leave Fleur's embrace. They held one another tightly, not wanting to let the other go.

"I'm so sorry for everything," whispered Hermione into her girlfriend's neck.

She felt Fleur's pain. The pain over the lies the brunette had kept, but most of all the pain of losing her father. Hermione knew there were no words to comfort her lover.

"I never got to say goodbye," said Fleur and with that the dam broke and the tears fell.

The lovers sank to the floor and the blonde allowed Hermione to hold her as she cried. It felt as if a limb had been torn off, as if a part of her was missing never to be found again. There were so many questions she had never asked, so many words that had passed her lips that she wanted to take back. The emotions of the last day hit her and she found herself unable to process them all.

Hermione understood. She had only known Armand for a brief time, but the thoughts of not seeing that twinkle again, or not hearing his booming laugh and Apolline scolding him, caused the brunette more pain than she could comprehend.

They stayed as they were, tangled together on the floor, in their grief.

XXXXX

After the tears had subsided, the couple spent the rest of the day discussing things in more detail. Fleur had more questions about everything that had transpired with Sabine and despite their being some more shouting from the blonde, it seemed as if she finally had all the answers she needed. The latter part of the day was spent with Hermione checking how her girlfriend really was after the death of her father. It was a tough subject for the blonde, who wasn't sure how she should process the loss. She seemed to want to ignore it, but Hermione knew from experience that that was a terrible idea.

So the couple talked. Some of the time it was getting Fleur to talk about how she was feeling, other times it was a particular memory, which caused them to laugh and then start crying uncontrollably. This was only the first day and Hermione knew there would be many more where Fleur would need her and the brunette was determined to never hurt her lover again.

It was later in the evening when there was a knock at the cottage door, which startled them.

They both looked at one another puzzled. If it was Julienne or Apolline they wouldn't knock and wait. Presuming it was Harry and Ron returning to check on her, Hermione clambered up off the sofa and answered the door. She was shocked when she saw Sabine standing there.

Immediately the brunette didn't know what to do.

"Is it the boys?" called Fleur from the living room.

"Er, no, it's not," replied Hermione, stepping back to allow the dark-haired Veela in.

Sabine followed the brunette into the living room, feeling anxious about seeing her cousin again.

Upon seeing the dark-haired Veela, Fleur jumped up, a look of pure rage on her face. Hermione knew that the furniture was probably about to get a beating.

"Hermione's told you then," said Sabine simply.

"That you've been secretly communicating with my girlfriend all year and made her promise not to say anything, yeah she told me," snapped the blonde.

The brunette knew it was probably wise to not point out that she had willingly kept the promise.

"I put her in that position, so don't be mad at her," explained Sabine. "We're friends and I just needed someone to talk to."

"And we're family, you think you could trust us," shot back Fleur.

"Please," sighed the dark-haired Veela, "let's not argue, it won't solve anything."

"It will make me feel better," snapped the blonde.

Hermione knew it was better for her to stay out of this.

Sabine dropped her head. "I wish I could change a lot of what has happened over the past year, but I can't. You have no idea how much regret I have and I will live with that for the rest of my life, and I deserve to."

Fleur glared at her cousin, but after a moment her expression softened somewhat. "You will live with that regret and you're right, you deserve it. You turned your back on family, but then we haven't always been the best support. After Hermione joined us, it seemed as if we all got closer and then all of a sudden you dropped us and ran. That hurt, but what hurt more is the way you seemed to side with your new family over us. Maybe we did have a part to play, but none of us deserved what happened."

The dark-haired Veela nodded. "I know I have done something terrible."

"Yes, but the way I see it, either I can accept what's happened and we now try to move on, or I dwell on it and we live in turmoil and conflict until the end of our lives," replied Fleur. The blonde seemed to swallow a lump and looked away. There were tears shining in her eyes. "My father was the kindest man I ever knew. I can almost hear him telling me what to do. If he was here, he would tell everyone to forgive you. That life is too short and all that nonsense. The fact he isn't here right now to say that, makes that last part all too real. My father would move on and forgive, so I will do the same, but you will have to prove yourself. There will be a time where you need to explain everything and answer our questions, but that can wait."

Sabine nodded again. "Whatever you want to know I will tell you and I will spend the rest of my life proving myself to everyone."

With a sign of agreement, Fleur grasped Hermione's hand tightly. The brunette felt the pain the blonde was feeling like a stab in the gut. She kissed Fleur lightly on the cheek and squeezed her hand.

It would take time for everything to heal, of that she was sure, but maybe, just maybe, Armand could still have some influence on everything, despite the fact that he was gone.

"Come on," murmured Fleur, "we have a funeral to plan."


End file.
